"title": "Is it time to give record-breaker Pickford the credit he deserves?", "content": "
Jordan Pickford will etch his name into World Cup folklore on Saturday when he leads England out in the Miami heat to face Norway. With his 18th appearance in the tournament, the Everton keeper will surpass Peter Shilton to become England's most-capped goalkeeper on football's greatest stage. It is a landmark that demands a reassessment of a player who, for too long, has been judged by the club he plays for rather than the performances he delivers.
His magnificent display in the 3-2 last-16 victory over Mexico at the Azteca — a match defined by electric saves, brave aerial claims, and distribution that launched a crucial counter-attacking goal — has reignited the question posed by BBC Sport's Phil McNulty: is it finally time to give Pickford the recognition his record deserves? As he stands on the brink of a 90th senior cap and a fifth major tournament, the answer should be resounding.
A record-breaking milestone
When Pickford takes his place between the posts at Hard Rock Stadium, he will overtake Peter Shilton, whose 17 World Cup appearances between 1982 and 1990 stood as the benchmark for nearly four decades. Shilton, a goalkeeper synonymous with English resilience, now hands the torch to a player whose international journey has been no less remarkable.
Since his debut in November 2017, Pickford has accumulated 89 caps for the Three Lions. In that time, he has conceded just 59 goals and kept 44 clean sheets — a ratio that underlines his consistency at the highest level. Even more striking is the Opta statistic that he has made only two errors directly leading to goals across those 89 appearances, a figure that shatters the caricature of a goalkeeper prone to costly lapses.
Consistency for club and country
Detractors often point to Pickford's club side, Everton, as a reason to question his elite status. Yet his Premier League numbers demolish that argument. Over the last two seasons, Pickford has recorded 23 clean sheets, a total
