Pickford improves keepers’ credibility
samara — It was just about the only thing Jordan Pickford got wrong all game.
“It was a daft injury by myself,” the England goalkeeper recounted. “I went to punch the (ground) and ended up punching my knee and hurt my thumb. It was a bit of anger. But I’m a man, not a mouse. I’m fine and I’ll live another day, won’t I?”
Pickford left Samara Stadium on Saturday with a heavily bandaged left hand, a glass vase to commemorate a playerof-the-match performance in England’s World Cup quarterfinal win over Sweden, and with his new-found status as the pride of a nation.
The global reputation of English goalkeepers has taken a battering in recent years but Pickford is reshaping opinions with his standout performances in England’s surprising run to the World Cup semifinals.
Four days after being England’s penalty-shootout star against Colombia in the round of 16, the 24-year-old Pickford produced three brilliant, onehanded saves in a 2-0 win over Sweden to ensure his team ultimately enjoyed smooth progress to a last-four match against Croatia. The only previous England goalkeepers to appear on such a stage were Gordon Banks — the World Cup winner from 1966 — and Peter Shilton, a veteran of 125 international caps who was 40 when he played in the 1990 World Cup semifinal loss to West Germany.
They are England’s two greatest goalkeepers. The way Pickford’s career is progressing, he could be joining that elite group. Pickford is the most expensive British goalkeeper in history, after joining Premier League team Everton from Sunderland last year for a fee that could rise to £30 million, and the third costliest goalkeeper ever after Italy great Gianluigi Buffon and Brazil’s Ederson Moraes of Manchester City.
He is breaking the mold. Away from his agility and shotstopping, no previous English goalkeeper has showed such composure and technical ability with his feet, a trait that England manager Gareth Southgate sees as vital for his team’s approach. —