Jordan Pickford, a young English goalkeeper, has been engaged in goalkeeper art since he was 8 years old. For his 24 years, he managed to try himself in this position in various football clubs in the UK. Since 2017, the young man has defended the colors of Everton.
How did his career begin? What success did he manage to achieve? This and much more should be told in more detail.
Six clubs in three years
A young man was born in Washington (Tyne and Wear), March 7, 1994. His family was the most ordinary - his father worked as a builder, his mother took care of the house. But both were rooting for Newcastle.
In 2002, Jordan Pickford went to FC Sunderland Football Academy. There he studied goalkeeper skills for 9 years, until 2011. And then he signed his first professional contract, which he extended as early as next season.
But in 2012, FC Darlington decided to rent it. Just for 1 month! True, then they extended it by another two. Jordan Pickford spent 17 matches at the club. Then his contract ended, and Darlington was liquidated.
His next team was the Alfreton Town Club. There he also did not stay long, having played only 12 matches. But 5 of them, by the way, are “dry”.
Literally 4-5 months passed, and on August 2, 2013 it was rented by Burton Albion. The very next day, the young man entered the field. But again, he played only 12 matches. From Burton Albion, Jordan moved to Carlisle United. Debuted that day. He has already played 18 matches with this team.
But again in the summer he was rented by a new club - Bradford City. There he spent as many as 33 meetings. And this is the whole season, which for Jordan Pickford was a kind of record. Then he was rented by the Preston North End Club. Before he could play 24 meetings, Sunderland announced that he was withdrawing the goalkeeper from the lease.
Leaving Sunderland
In 2015, December 31, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford extended his contract with Sunderland until 2020. In the 2016/17 season, he was the second goalkeeper, but when Vito Mannone was injured, he became the main one.
But the team, constantly leasing their goalkeeper, flew out of the Premier League. The young promising footballer probably did not want to spend his years playing in the minor league. There were rumors that he was planning to leave.
Six clubs from the Premier League were immediately interested in the goalkeeper. David Moyes, Sunderland’s coach, said: “You can’t say something exactly about Jordan’s future, but he has a contract. So the final decision is up to the club. If he goes where he will not be the first number, then this will negatively affect his professional growth. ”
But footballer Jordan Pickford is gone. In June 15, 2017, he signed a contract with Everton for 5 years. He was bought back for 25 million pounds. And it turned out to be the most expensive transfer of the English goalkeeper in history. Moreover, in the world list, Jordan was in third place - after Buffon and Ederson.
In the national team
Talking about the biography of Jordan Pickford, it should be noted how he showed himself in the national team. He has been playing in the national team since 2009. The young man played for all youth squads. In total, he spent 50 matches for them.
Interestingly, in 2016, Jordan participated in a tournament in Toulon. He managed to beat the English for the first time in 22 years.
In 2017, Jordan was called up to the main squad. Already on November 10, his debut took place. At that time, he was no longer “pulled” for rent - the goalkeeper played in Everton. Jordan Pickford played “dry” in that match - there were no substitutions or goals conceded by him.
He also participated in the 2018 World Cup. After the match with Sweden, he was completely called the model of the modern goalkeeper.
A guy with a great future
That is what many call Jordan Pickford. At the moment, he does not have a single title (except gold at the tournament in Toulon). Not surprising, because he was constantly rented, not even for the whole season. But now everything is different.
All prophesy to him a great future. Although, when he was 22, no one considered Jordan a young talent. It was due to the fact that few people knew about him.
After the injury, Vito Mannone, everything changed. Jordan attracted attention. He was all ranked among the players, which are the main hope of the team. And if we talk about goalkeepers - then the only one.
Many believe that Joe Hart has already passed. He is not what he was before. In the game it is almost absent, and the goalkeeper makes mistakes much more often. Forster wasn’t just giving up - he was stagnant. Jack Butland is a young hope, but his injuries regularly hinder him. And Tom Heaton is already an age for the national team.
Interesting Facts
Jordan Pickford, like any other football player, has idols. In one of the interviews, he was asked who the goalkeeper considers to be truly reference players. It was assumed that the young man would name one of his compatriots.
He said that Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton were truly good players. And sometimes, remembering what football was like, looking back, one can really admire their game.
But Jordan believes that football is changing and developing. In addition, you need to look at yourself and be yourself. Now he holds this position. But in childhood, his idol was Peter Schmeichel. Also, the young man enjoyed watching the game of Joe Hart.
Play style
You can not ignore this topic. The first thing that everyone notices when observing the game of Jordan is his confidence. Not even the grace and talent that he also had in abundance. Although at first he may seem an enraged student, ready to rush into a fight.
But in fact, Jordan Pickford is a true goalkeeper who really defends his goal. He is ready to surrender to the match completely, break into chips, but hit the ball.
Watching him is interesting. He has an enthusiasm and passion for football, he can not be called a “dry” professional. He gives everything physically and emotionally. Perhaps that is why fans loved him. Many are sure - even having achieved world fame, having won a lot of trophies, he will not lose this quality, for which he has become a respected goalkeeper by the public.
Pickford himself says he prefers a confident, non-risky game. He said: “I try to avoid all kinds of tricks, because I do not want to pay for it. All this is a risk. If it turns out, then it's cool. But if not ... a fatal mistake is inevitable. I do not approve of an adventurous game. The goalkeeper must minimize the risk. ”
Pickford also noted that this is the play style of Alisson from Liverpool, and he is not going to imitate anyone. Goalkeeper errors are always decisive. And then everyone talks about them.
Personal life
This topic is also of certain interest. Jordan Pickford does not hide his personal life - he has a girlfriend, and in his Instagram he uploads a lot of photos in which they are together.
Charming blonde name is Megan Davison. Young people met in Washington as schoolchildren. He was then 16 years old, and she was 14. Since then, they have not parted, so the couple have been together for 8 years.
After the 1/8 finals of the 2018 World Cup, held in Russia, Jordan became a real hero in his homeland. He decided to choose such an important moment in order to make an offer to his girlfriend. Soon they will play a wedding.