Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PICKFORD VOWING TO TURN SILVER INTO SOLID GOLD
England’s No.1 uses his Euros second place medal to inspire him to go one better in Qatar as he bids to put Everton’s poor season behind him
SOME players take it off the moment after it is given to them, some give it away, some take it home but make sure it never sees the light of day.
Very few boast about a runners-up medal.
Jordan Pickford does not show it off, does not brandish it as some sort of momentous achievement… but he does use his memento from Euro 2020 as an inspiration to go one better. More than anyone else in Gareth Southgate’s squad, Pickford has reason to feel bitter about that defeat to Italy at Wembley (left) in the summer of 2021. His save from Marco Verratti unluckily went on to a post, allowing Leonardo Bonucci to poach the equaliser, and he then saved penalty kicks from Andrea Belotti and Jorginho in the shootout, only for his heroics to be in vain.
But after the bitter disappointment had subsided, Pickford was proud of his runners-up medal.
As the Everton keeper put the final touches to his preparation for England’s World Cup opener against Iran, he said: “Other players don’t really like them but I think it is a progression. It is a hunger to say that you have got the runners-up medal – it’s a hunger wanting to go and get the winners’ medal.
“You know what it takes to get to the final, now what’s the next step? So I think it is always good to have a look at. I’m positive about it, not a negative.”
And the medal should also remind Pickford of his own stellar tournament form.
At the Euros last summer, he kept five clean sheets and over 14 finals matches since the start of World Cup 2018, he has been beaten only 10 times. While his club form has suffered the occasional dip, he has been outstanding for England and is an automatic starter – despite competition from Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale.
Pickford said: “I think every time I pull on an England shirt I play well. But in tournament football, the spotlight is on you constantly and I feel like I step up to the plate when called upon.”
With Everton still struggling to punch their weight, Pickford’s wait for club honours goes on and is likely to do so for some time. And, as if needed, that gives him an added incentive at times like these.
He added: “For club and country, you play football to win silverware. You know how tough the Premier League is and we got knocked out of the League Cup against Bournemouth.
“As a footballer, there is nothing better than getting a medal. The World Cup is an opportunity for us that we can hopefully grab with both hands. We’ve been successful without winning anything in the last two tournaments I’ve been involved in.
“I think we’ve come a long way as a nation, especially from Russia, where we were written off a bit early-doors and got to the semis.
“We were disappointed not to get to the final.
“We took that momentum into the Euros and got to the final, got beaten, but now know what it takes to get that far.
“We know how tough it is to win the World Cup but we’ve got the ability and mental strength in the team.”