- Jordan Pickford signed for Everton in 2017 from Sunderland.
- Pickford has amassed 100 clean sheets for Everton.
- Is he challenging Southall to be Everton’s best ever?
In an era where loyalty in football is rare, Jordan Pickford stands apart. He has been Everton’s number one for nearly nine years. He has watched teammates come and go, seen managers change, and endured relegation scraps that would have tested anyone’s patience.
And yet, here he is. Still at Goodison. Still at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Still diving to his left, screaming at his defenders, and celebrating a clean sheet like it is a winning goal.
Pickford joined Everton from Sunderland in June 2017 for £30m, then a British record fee for a goalkeeper. Since then, he has made 352 appearances for the club.
Jordan Pickford has kept 11 clean sheets this Premier League season alone, joint‑second in the division. In total, he has 100 clean sheets for Everton, sitting fifth on the club’s all‑time list behind legends like Neville Southall and Gordon West. Those numbers tell you about his quality. But the numbers do not tell you about the loyalty.
‘It has surprised me that he has been at Everton for so long’
Theo Walcott, who played alongside Pickford at Everton, summed it up perfectly. “It has surprised me that he has been at Everton for so long,” Walcott said. “There have been times where I have thought Jordan is going to go now, for Champions League football somewhere, but it shows his character that he has stayed. He has always been happy being Everton’s number one, which I can understand. It’s an incredible football club – knowing that if he did move it could affect his England career, so he hasn’t.”
Think about that. Pickford has been England’s number one for the best part of a decade. He has 82 caps, has played in four major tournaments, and no England goalkeeper has made more appearances in those tournaments than him. He could have chased Champions League football at Manchester United or Tottenham, both clubs have been linked with him, especially in 2023.
But he chose to stay. He chose Everton.
‘He is underappreciated’ – Rooney, Wright and Neville agree
Wayne Rooney, speaking on The Overlap, made a point that many Evertonians would echo. “He is underappreciated,” Rooney said. “His performances for Everton but more so for England in the big tournaments have been incredible. When people talk about keepers worldwide, he doesn’t get mentioned that often but he is definitely up there.”
Ian Wright called him brilliant on the same podcast. Gary Neville and Roy Keane agreed. That is not faint praise.
Paul Robinson, the former England keeper, highlighted Pickford’s mental strength. “Jordan has worked extremely hard on his game, but I also think he has worked extremely hard on himself, and the mentality of being England’s number one as well. When you play for England, you come under huge scrutiny whenever a goal goes in and you have to deal with the noise but Jordan has done more than that, he has silenced it.”
Pickford himself has never hidden his pride in wearing the Everton shirt. “I do my best for Everton week-in, week-out, and I’m always striving to improve,” he said recently. “I’m only 32, which is young as a keeper, so I’m just striving to keep getting better. I wear the England shirt with immense pride and I think everyone in the country knows how much it means to me.”
He would have certainly said the same about the Everton shirt. And he meant it.
A modern Everton great, and we should treasure him
Pickford has not won a trophy at Everton. He has not played in the Champions League with us. But he has given us something more rare: consistency, passion, and loyalty.
In an age where players move for money or medals at the first opportunity, Pickford has stayed. He has been the one constant through the chaos. He has taken abuse, bounced back, and kept us in games we had no right to be in.
Is he Everton’s best ever keeper? Many may argue that Southall will always have that crown. But is he one of the most important? Without question. And the fact that he chose to spend his peak years with us, a club outside the so‑called top six, says everything about his character.
We should appreciate him while he is still here. Because players like Jordan Pickford do not come around very often. And when they do, they deserve to be celebrated.
