It's time to give Jordan Pickford the credit he deserves. The English goalkeeper has been a model of consistency for Everton and the national team, and his performance at the 2026 World Cup has only further solidified his status as one of the best in the game.
Pickford's statistics speak for themselves. In the last two Premier League seasons, he has recorded 23 clean sheets, second only to David Raya, the keeper with Premier League champions Arsenal, who has 32. In his 89 England games, he has conceded 59 goals and kept 44 clean sheets while making only two errors that have led to goals, according to Opta statistics.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes Pickford's contribution has been undervalued. "I think he has been under-appreciated for Everton and England when you look at the numbers he's posting, the games he is playing and the number of clean sheets he has," he told BBC Sport. "He is only second behind David Raya in the last two seasons for clean sheets and they are playing for very different teams. With England, you look at his experience, the way he has gone deep into tournaments. I always talk about competitive caps, but he has lots of tournament caps, which is so important."
Pickford has been England's first-choice tournament keeper since the 2018 World Cup, where they lost in the semi-final to Croatia in Moscow. His performance in the Azteca against Mexico was particularly impressive, with two brilliant first-half saves from Raul Jimenez, followed by an outstanding display of penalty-area command in a frantic second period. "It was a very brave display of goalkeeping," Robinson said. "I really admired what he did out there in that second half and his two saves in the first half kept England in the game. They could have been out of it by half-time if it wasn't for him."
Pickford's performance against Mexico can bolster England's confidence as they try to overcome the dangerous Norwegians and master striker Erling Haaland, who demonstrated their threat by beating Brazil 2-0 in the last 16. "I think Jordan Pickford's confidence will be at an all-time high and the team's will be as well after their win against Mexico," Robinson added. "I questioned them on air when Thomas Tuchel went to a back five after 71 minutes. I was thinking I wasn't sure they would hang on, and that would have been a stick he would have been beaten with. It did go right and Jordan Pickford was a big part of it going right."
Pickford's performance at the 2026 World Cup has been a testament to his maturity and bravery. He has taken the initiative by coming for crosses and corners on a regular basis, making life easier for his defenders. "He decided that he was going to stand up," Robinson said. "He came for crosses, made decisions to go for balls, making life easier for his defenders because of how good he was. The easiest thing as a goalkeeper is to stay on your line because you don't get criticised. If you stay on your line, you can't make a mistake, but he showed maturity and bravery. He showed the way his game has developed by coming off his line, making those decisions, making big bold calls. That's where you see how much he has evolved."
In conclusion, Jordan Pickford is a goalkeeper who has earned his place as one of the best in the game. His performance at the 2026 World Cup has been a testament to his consistency and bravery, and he has earned the credit he deserves.
