In 2017 Jordan Pickford signed from Sunderland for a fee of £25 million, and at the time, there were a few eyebrows raised about the purchase. Regardless of what people thought of that signing back then, few would have predicted the Englishman to go on to have the career he is having on Merseyside.
Pickford has now made over 200 appearances for Everton, and he has already established himself as one of the club’s best ‘keepers in history. At the age of just 28, he should climb the top end of our all-time appearances list if he decides to remain with the club until the back end of his career.
In terms of record appearances, the bar looks out of reach for any player in the future. Neville Southall holds that record with 751 games. However, Pickford can aim to pass the likes of Ted Sagar (497 appearances), Tim Howard (414 appearances) and Gordon West (402 appearances).
Pickford is proving to be very reliable for club and country. He rarely makes a mistake between the sticks, and he is developing into one the leaders for Everton and England, and a possible captain for both of those teams.
England Number One
Pickford has had competition for the number one jersey for England for several years now, but his national team manager Gareth Southgate remains loyal to the Everton man. That confidence was rewarded at the World Cup in 2018 and the European Championship in 2021 where Pickford was one of the best ‘keepers at both of those events.
At the Euros in 2021, Pickford started the tournament with five consecutive clean sheets, the last of which came in a 4-0 win over Ukraine. He became the first player in the competition’s history to do that. The first goal he let in came against Denmark in the semi-final at Wembley. At that tournament, the 28-year-old also broke an England record for the most minutes without conceding a goal when he went 721 minutes before conceding.
The Toffees shot-stopper is likely to start for England are the 2022 World Cup which will be his third straight major tournament. As of the 11th of November, England are 8/1 in the World Cup betting. If Pickford can produce his best form again, they are one of the leading contenders for that trophy in Qatar.
Two-Time Player of the Season
Pickford has been Everton’s Player of the Season twice in the five years he has been at the club. He landed that award in his opening campaign at Goodison Park. The former Sunderland man started all 38 Premier League games, and he kept 10 clean sheets.
The prestigious club award was also won by Pickford last season. The England international picked up eight clean sheets in another fantastic league campaign. He was often the difference between his side holding on to all three points and picking up a draw when Everton were under heavy pressure.
Pickford now has as many Player of the Season awards as Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines. If he wins the trophy for a third time, he will go ahead of those greats with three successes in the main prize on the Everton awards night.
Save of Last Season
The Everton number one once again showed what he was capable of at the back end of last season on the 1stof May. He produced a double stop to keep Chelsea out. The second of his two saves in quick succession was a scramble across the goal line to deny Cesar Azpilicueta.
That moment was crucial in ensuring Everton prevailed 1-0 at Goodison Park in a huge win against Frank Lampard’s former team. It was also enough to earn him the inaugural Save of the Season Award from the Premier League.
The vote was carried out by Premier League fans and a panel of football experts, so it was a fantastic award for the Everton player to win. There was a total of 10 saves on the shortlist, but it was Pickford who prevailed for his heroics.
Hopefully, Pickford continues producing his magic for many years to come and help the club have a lot of success on the pitch.