On Saturday in England’s World Cup quarterfinal with Norway, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford will earn his 90th cap and will surpass Peter Shilton’s England men’s record of 18 World Cup appearances, according to ESPN.
Pickford, 32, has been an England mainstay since the 2018 World Cup and has been the nation’s No. 1 at the last five major tournaments. He was in goal for England’s European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024. Two days after his standout performance in England’s 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca, center back Ezri Konsa said, “Having a world-class keeper behind you always helps,” according to ESPN.
Despite long-term selection and recent high-level displays, Pickford remains a lightning rod for criticism. Liverpool women’s goalkeeping coach Andy Lonergan, who played with Pickford at Everton from 2021 to 2024, said there is a persistent narrative that “he’s got a mistake in him” but added that critics would “struggle to find any weakness in his game,” according to ESPN. Observers have also seized on his lively and sometimes confrontational personality; a 2019 exchange with analyst Gary Neville after an Everton match drew national attention, according to ESPN.
At club level, Pickford has weathered turnover. He has worked under eight full-time managers at Everton and remained the club’s first-choice goalkeeper through each managerial change, according to ESPN. After a goal conceded to Adnan Januzaj in 2018, Thibaut Courtois criticized Pickford’s technique; England manager Gareth Southgate publicly defended Pickford and said he had belief in him, according to ESPN.
Pickford faced fresh competition after England’s surprise Nations League loss to Greece, when interim coach Lee Carsley selected Dean Henderson for the following match, but Pickford returned to the starting role afterward. Thomas Tuchel retained Pickford when he became England coach in March 2025, and by October 2025 the Everton stopper had recorded eight consecutive clean sheets, according to ESPN.
