Everton’s 2025/26 season has officially come to an end, and now, all eyes are pointed squarely at this summer’s World Cup.
Plenty of Toffees will be strutting their stuff on the global stage this summer: Nathan Patterson will look to keep Neymar quiet as he gears up for Scotland’s first appearance since 1998, while Iliman Ndiaye will somehow try to plot his Senegal team a way out of Group I ahead of France and Norway.
But perhaps the one player that hopes are pinned on more than others is goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. The Everton shot-stopper will be between the sticks for England, keeping goal at his third straight World Cup. And this time around, the bookies make him and the Three Lions genuine contenders to lift the trophy.
The latest Bovada World Cup odds currently position Thomas Tuchel’s men as a 6/1 contender to win the World Cup this summer, ending 60 years of hurt in the process. Only outright frontrunners Spain (9/2) and back-to-back finalists France (5/1) are considered more likely champions.
So, could Pickford steal the show for England this summer? It wouldn’t be the first time he has, nor would it be the first time an Everton player has. Here are two times a Toffee was the star at the World Cup.
Jordan Pickford’s Shootout Heroics – 2018
England headed into the 2018 World Cup in Russia with the lowest expectations in recent memory. Gareth Southgate, the man who no one wanted in charge at the time, had taken over, and all the big names were gone. Everton’s Jordan Pickford was selected as the first-choice goalkeeper, despite having just three senior caps to his name, ahead of Jack Butland, Nick Pope, and a left at home Joe Hart.
They squeezed through the group stage as runners-up to Belgium’s golden generation after beating both Tunisia and Panama but losing to the Red Devils. Losing that game meant that the draw opened up for England after shock exits for Germany and Spain, and all that stood between them and a relatively simple run to the final was Colombia in the round of 16. And in true England fashion, a 1-1 draw meant that the tie would be resolved via a penalty shootout.
England hadn’t won a single World Cup shootout heading into that night in Moscow, with their record sitting at a miserable 0-3. And when Jordan Henderson missed the Three Lions’ third spotkick, it looked like history would repeat itself. Then, Pickford came to the fore.
Firstly, Colombia’s Mateus Uribe rattled the crossbar to give England life. Then, Pickford’s moment came. He threw up a massive left hand to keep out striker Carlos Bacca’s penalty and put Southgate’s men on the brink. Eric Dier would then slot the decisive penalty past David Ospina, handing England the win, their first in a World Cup shootout.
Pickford’s heroics wouldn’t stop there. He won the man of the match award as England beat Sweden 2-0 in the quarter-finals after a slew of massive saves thwarted the Swedes and propelled the Three Lions to the semis. Unfortunately, however, heartbreak would lie in wait, and Mario Mandžukić’s extra-time goal sent Croatia to the final at the expense of Pickford and England.
Tim Howard’s Superhuman Display – 2014
Four years before Pickford’s stellar tournament in Russia, another Everton goalkeeper was stealing the show. This time, it was big American Tim Howard.
The US were drawn into a tough Group G in Brazil in 2014 alongside Germany and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. They were expected to be on an early flight home, but when CR7 and Co. were thumped 4-0 by the Germans in their opening game, the door was open for the Stars and Stripes to progress to the knockout round.
Victory against Ghana, a draw with Portugal, and a narrow 1-0 loss to Germany were enough for a spot in the Round of 16 against Belgium, a clash that Howard’s men were huge underdogs to win. But despite that, their giant goalkeeper would do everything in his power to help his side upset the odds.
Throughout the course of 120 minutes of action, Howard made a record-breaking 15 saves. He thwarted Divock Origi from point-blank range, made a desperate lunge to keep out Kevin Mirallas with his foot, and scrambled to somehow deny Vincent Kompany. His exploits secured a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes and sent the tie to extra time, but the additional period would prove that Howard was indeed human.
Kevin De Bruyne struck just three minutes into extra time to break the deadlock. Then, Romelu Lukaku would add a second on the stroke of half-time in extra time. The US would find a response two minutes after the interval through Julian Green, but they were unable to force an equaliser in the 13 minutes that remained.
The Red Devils progressed to the quarterfinals, but Howard was named man of the match after a herculean display. His 16 saves remain a World Cup record to this day.
