On eve of World Cup record, why doesn't England's Pickford get more love?

MIAMI -- About an hour into the flight from Mexico City to Miami, we got talking about England goalkeepers. The gentleman in the seat next to mine had been to every World Cup since 1982, always following England. There would have been more trips in his past had it not been for their failure to qualify for 1974 and 1978.

Anyway, 48 hours after Jordan Pickford's heroics in England's 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca, we talked goalkeepers.

"The greatest England goalkeepers I've seen? I saw Gordon Banks in 1967, and Alex Stepney that year. Ray Clemence was good in the '70s. Then of course there's Peter Shilton, and David Seaman. The best? Probably Shilton; he had it all."

On Saturday in England's World Cup quarterfinal with Norway, Pickford will earn his 90th cap. He will also break Shilton's England men's record of 18 World Cup appearances. Yet he remains a confusing figure among the England fanbase.

"What about Pickford? Where does he rank?" I ask my neighbor. "Pickford ... I've never been too sure about him."

Pickford, 32, has been an England mainstay since the 2018 World Cup. He has been England's No.1 for the last five major tournaments, and he was in goal for their two European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024. Former England manager Gareth Southgate trusted him through his tenure, and Thomas Tuchel has kept the faith. Against Mexico, Pickford was again outstanding.

"Having a world-class keeper behind you always helps," center back Ezri Konsa said after the Mexico win. "He has made these many appearances for a reason."

Yet Pickford remains a lightning rod for criticism.

"I think when he plays well, there's a lot of positivity around him," Liverpool women's goalkeeping coach Andy Lonergan, who played with Pickford at Everton from 2021 to 2024, tells ESPN. "But there's a narrative around him -- and I hate the term -- that he's got a mistake in him. Believe me, you'll struggle to find any weakness in his game."

A quick scan of articles over the last eight years on Pickford offers a snapshot of the polarizing views that engulf him. Criticism follows mistakes, and his personality -- lively and sometimes confrontational, but above all, confident -- can rub people the wrong way, like in 2019 when British TV analyst Gary Neville got angry at Pickford after he was seen smiling with Everton down 3-1 to City.

"It's funny because everyone raves about you when you are with England, but then you get back to your club and everyone wants to slate you," Pickford said soon after Neville's criticism. "As a person, I don't let it affect me. But it does piss you off."

During his time at Everton, he has had eight different full-time managers. Each has kept Pickford as their No.1. It has been the same since he broke through with England. "Everyone has their opinions from the outside, but it's the ones that matter who know how good he is," Lonergan says. Though he has had to build his armor there, too.

After a goal Pickford conceded from Belgium winger Adnan Januzaj in 2018, his opposing goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, said: "The goalkeeper is 10 centimeters smaller than me. I would have caught it. He was too busy throwing his legs in the air."

Southgate responded: "[Pickford] has to make sure he knows the views of those who are important and, like everyone else, cut himself away from the outside views that can start to inhibit your thinking. He knows I have belief in him."

When Southgate left after Euro 2024, Pickford had to prove himself again. Four days after Pickford was in goal for England's surprise 2-1 loss to Greece at Wembley in the Nations League, interim coach Lee Carsley went with backup Dean Henderson for England's 3-1 win at Finland. Pickford's place had a dab of jeopardy above it, but by the time the next batch of international matches came around, he was back in goal.

When Tuchel took over in March 2025, he kept faith with Pickford, and by October 2025, the Everton stopper had kept eight consecutive clean sheets in a row, breaking Banks' previous England record. After the 3-0 win over Wales in which he secured the record, Tuchel called Pickford a "fantastic shot stopper" and followed it up with "he kept his composure. This is basically what we demand of him. He stayed calm, kept his focus."

Pickford's roller-coaster World Cup

Fast-forward to this World Cup, and Pickford had a slightly rocky start. He conceded twice against Croatia, the first from Martin Baturina just slipping through his hands. Television cameras also caught Tuchel giving Pickford some robust feedback after a botched clearance, as well as the goalkeeper offering his point of view in retort. The conversation finished with Tuchel shouting, "Do as I told you!"

Before the Ghana game, ex-Premier League striker Troy Deeney said: "I can't see [England] winning the World Cup with Jordan Pickford in goal. I just can't."

Against Ghana, Pickford misjudged when to come off his line and he caught opposing forward Prince Adu outside of the box. It ended in a free kick for Pickford, but it could easily have been a foul and even a game-changing red card. In the round-of-32 win over Congo DR, Pickford was beaten too easily at his near post for their opener from winger Brian Cipenga.

Speak to those close to Pickford, including those who have seen him in training, and they find this view perplexing. The hugely experienced Asmir Begovic played with Pickford at Everton from 2021 to 2023, and the two remain close friends.

"I've been on record now singing his praises for years, and objectively, he's been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League," Begovic tells ESPN. "I mean, I've seen single-handedly what he's done for Everton. He's certainly played an incredible part in a very difficult situation. He's one of the best I've worked with. There's 100% not enough appreciation for just how good he is."

Pickford's durability also goes under the radar: He has missed 11 league games for Everton in nine years. "I bet there aren't many English goalies who have been that robust and consistent in Premier League history," says one ESPN source who has spent time around Pickford.

Begovic agrees: "That's someone doing things at a long and consistent level, and a high performance. He's cemented himself as an England and Everton legend.

"When people talk about the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, they mention David Raya, [Gianluigi] Donnarumma and Alisson [Becker]. Why not Jordan? Everton's an incredible football club, but maybe if he was at Man City or Arsenal, that would give him an edge in perception. When you look at his performances, he's up there with the best of them."

In Lonergan's view, the reason Pickford doesn't have the same adulation as other goalkeepers is simple.

"It's because he's English," Lonergan says. "The narrative around English goalkeepers is not great, I know that. If you speak to agents and clubs, it's hard to move English goalkeepers abroad. If he was Argentinean or French, there would be a clamor for him."

There's also the silverware aspect. Pickford is one of two players on the England squad yet to win a domestic trophy. His fellow goalkeepers have had success: Dean Henderson has won the FA Cup and Europa Conference League with Crystal Palace, and James Trafford has lifted the League Cup and FA Cup last season at Manchester City. "If you're looking at one thing which perhaps he's missing for worldwide recognition -- maybe -- and I think it's just that trophy," Begovic adds. "I think that's probably what's missing a little bit in the public eye."

One other prominent former international goalkeeper agrees: "He needs Champions League football to really cement his place among the England goalkeeper legends. That's what's missing."

But Pickford is loyal to Everton. "He could play for any team in the world and win a trophy. If he played for Arsenal last year, they'd have still won the Premier League. But he loves Everton. I think he's so underappreciated," Lonergan says. "Not from Everton fans because they know how good he is because they see him week in, week out. They perhaps don't get the same publicity as other clubs, but believe me, the class is there."

It was after the Mexico game that the praise started to flow, again, for Pickford. He made two brilliant saves off Raúl Jiménez in the first half, and in the closing stages his judgment was perfect as England repelled cross after cross. "There's no point forcing the issue and going and chasing things," Begovic says of Pickford's performance. "It's about going there and dealing with the ball as and when you're confident, you're going to be able to do so and make an impact. He did that perfectly."

Lonergan adds: "From a keeper's point of view, it's a lot easier for you to stay on your line in those closing stages. If they score, it's because the defender has messed up there, but if you come for a cross and you miss it, it's your fault. But he of course faced up to it, and went for everything, judging it perfectly."

Becoming an England leader

In "Dear England," a play and TV series on how Southgate turned English football around, Pickford is portrayed as an overexcited puppy, a pastiche playing up his penalty routine where he bounces up and down slapping the crossbar. "I watched one episode of that and switched it off," Lonergan says. "The Jordan in it is so far off how he is. He's not hyperactive at all. He's loud in matches, but it's just directions for his teammates. It's no different to what Peter Schmeichel did."

Critics have previously pointed to Pickford's temperament. He was more rambunctious when he was younger. There was the time he got into an argument with Newcastle fans in the 2018-19 season, and his form was patchy in the 2019-20 campaign. But Pickford has mellowed a touch since his younger years. "Earlier in his career there were times I played with him where it felt like if he was bored in the game he thought he had to do something, just to feel like he was involved," ex-England teammate Theo Walcott said on the BBC in 2025.

"He is not really involved in any scuffles anymore, and that is down to maturity." He has written on his boots at the World Cup "Get the Rave On," a tribute to his favorite band, Courteeners, but the energy is centered on the pitch.

"He's matured with everything," Begovic says. "Maybe some people still think of him as the emotional youngster, but he's got a beautiful family. He's matured himself, as a player, as a goalkeeper, as a person. He takes his craft so seriously. He's never one to feign injuries or anything like that, he just puts his hand up, and he's ready to go. He's a top professional."

Pickford has never captained England, but from watching him on the pitch, and the way he barks instructions, he has established himself as one of the team's key leaders. He knows he has that responsibility, saying after Mexico: "I'm one of the most experienced lads in the group and when called upon you've got to roll your sleeves up. It was a great game for me and that's a standard in itself." Postmatch, Tuchel agreed: "Jordan, overall, did very, very well. Especially in the end, he was brave. I am very happy for him."

When Pickford takes his place between the sticks against Norway, he'll be playing in his third World Cup quarterfinal. Quite some rise from the lad who went on loan to Darlington, Alfreton Town, Burton Albion, Carlisle United, Bradford City and Preston North End before he fought his way into the Sunderland team in 2016-17, which led to Everton spending £25 million on him, a fee that made him the most expensive England goalkeeper ever at the time.

Throughout England's journey over the past eight years, Pickford has remained the reliable constant. "It doesn't surprise me, you know?" Begovic says. "I wouldn't say someone is world class if I didn't think they were, and I truly think he is a world-class goalkeeper, one of the best in the world in the Premier League. I don't think he gets mentioned enough in that."

But will all these records be enough to cement him as an England legend? "He needs the World Cup for that," Begovic says.

Back to the conversation on the plane, and my neighbor is talking about the Mexico game.

"Pickford was great there to be fair," he says. "But you're only as good as your last game. That's how the saying goes."

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