England's Jordan Pickford
England's Jordan Pickford

World Cup Golden Glove award: England number one Jordan Pickford primed for FIFA award


From penalty heorics against Colombia to a man of the match performance against Sweden, Jordan Pickford has helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals, could he now be crowned the best goalkeeper in the tournament?

Pickford was a 16/1 shot to win the FIFA Golden Glove Award before the World Cup, but it's now a genuine four horse race with the other semi-finalists and hardly anything between them in the market.

Hugo Lloris is a slight 9/4 favourite with Pickford, Belgium's Thibaut Courtois and Croatia's Danijel Subasic all 11/4 to win the prize.

Four of the last five winners also won the World Cup, while Oliver Khan made the final, so you'd think it wuld again come down to the two keepers playing for the trophy next Sunday, and going on performances there's not much between them.

Lloris has been solid, Courtois was outstanding against Brazil while Subasic has been immense in two penalty shootout wins. Pickford, though, is well in the running and is not short of confidence as England look to make their first final since 1966.

"Nothing fazes me. The pitch is always the same: same lines, same goal height, same game of football," said 24-year-old Pickford.


World Cup Golden Glove odds


"I just work hard every day in training. That's why I got a clean sheet tonight. All the saves I make in training are for showcasing them on a match day.

"I never put myself under any pressure. I embrace the moment."

There was only the slightest concession to the criticism which followed his failure to keep out Belgium's winner in the group stage - which included critiques of his technique and even his height.

"Criticism doesn't affect me. It makes me even better," he said. "I always enjoy my football. Going out on the big stage makes it even better."

Pickford's attitude and application is symptomatic of the atmosphere Southgate has created in the England camp. There's confidence, preparation and no fear of going out on the pitch and repeating what's being worked on in training.

Pickford's the prototype

"Pickford, for me, is the sort of prototype of what a modern goalkeeper should be," Southgate said.

"His speed around the goal today, the saves he made at critical times and generally his distribution, there was some excellent moments picking out (Kieran) Trippier a few times with a reverse pass, able to play through the lines.

"So, to be able to play the way I think we want to play moving forwards, we need goalkeepers of that ilk."

Pickford also revealed he hurt his thumb when he attempted to thump the ground in a moment of frustration during the second half, but allayed any concerns over his fitness.

"It was a daft injury by myself," he was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

"I went to punch the floor and ended up punching my knee and hurt my thumb. It was a bit of anger. But I'm a man, not a mouse. I'm fine and I'll live another day, won't I?

Follow Sporting Life on social media - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLife

Related World Cup links

Like what you've read?

MOST READ FOOTBALL

Sporting Life
Join for free!
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Race Replays
My stable horse tracker
giftOffers and prize draws
newsExclusive content

FOOTBALL TIPS

We are committed to Safer Gambling and have a number of self-help tools to help you manage your gambling. We also work with a number of independent charitable organisations who can offer help and answers any questions you may have.
Gamble Aware LogoGamble Helpline LogoGamstop LogoGordon Moody LogoSafer Gambling Standard LogoGamban Logo18+ LogoTake Time To Think Logo