Jordan Pickford

Sunderland

Pickford joined Sunderland's Academy at the age of eight and progressed through the age groups before signing two-year scholarship terms in 2010. The following year, he was promoted from the Academy to the reserve team. In 2011, Pickford signed his first professional contract with the club. The following year, he signed a contract extension with the club.

Loans to Darlington and Alfreton Town

Pickford signed on loan for Conference Premier club Darlington in time to make his debut against Fleetwood Town on 21 January 2012, playing the whole of a 1–0 home loss. The initial month-long loan was subsequently extended until the end of April. He went on to make 17 appearances for Darlington, who were relegated. On 25 February 2013, Pickford signed for Conference Premier club Alfreton Town, again on an initial month-long loan and was a cover for Phil Barnes, who was injured. He made his debut the next day in a 5–1 win over Hyde United. His loan spell at the club was subsequently extended until the end of the season. During this spell, Pickford kept 5 clean sheets in 12 matches.

Loans to Burton Albion and Carlisle United

On 2 August 2013, Pickford signed another loan deal, this time with League Two club Burton Albion, and made his debut the next day against Cheltenham Town. However, his loan ended on 17 August, after Sunderland recalled him with Pickford featuring just three times for Burton. On 13 September, Pickford re-joined Burton on…

Youth

Pickford has represented the England international team at every level from under-16s to under-21s. In October 2009, he made his England U16 debut against Wales U16. In 2011, Pickford represented England at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup. In a game versus Canada, Pickford allowed an 86th-minute goal, from a downfield kick by Canadian goalkeeper Quillan Roberts which tied the game in a 2–2 draw. This remains as the only goal scored by a goalkeeper in a FIFA finals to date from open play. On 25 August 2015, he was called up to the England under-21 squad for the first time. Pickford made his debut for the under-21s in a friendly against the United States under-23s at Deepdale on 3 September 2015. On 13 October 2015, Pickford assisted Nathan Redmond's goal in the England U21s' 3–0 victory over Kazakhstan at the Ricoh Arena with a long range pass from his own penalty area. His team won the 2016 Toulon Tournament, their first in 22 years. On 9 October 2016, Pickford received his first call-up to the senior squad, replacing an injured Tom Heaton for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. Pickford led the England under-21 to the semi-final of the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in June 2017 with a string of strong performances.

Senior team

On 24 August 2017, Pickford was called up to the England squad by manager Gareth Southgate for two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia. However, he later withdrew from the squad due…

Pickford is known for his shot-stopping, reflexes, distribution with his feet, and consistency as a goalkeeper, as well as his composure and penalty-stopping abilities. Although Pickford's reception among pundits has been mixed, he has been praised in the media for his leadership and decisive performances with the England national team in international tournaments, with former England international Theo Walcott labelling him as one of England's greatest goalkeepers ever. His former Everton teammate, fellow goalkeeper Asmir Begović, instead described Pickford as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Jordan Lee Pickford was born Jordan Lee Logan on 7 March 1994 in Washington, a town in the county of Tyne and Wear in England. His father Lee later changed the family name to Pickford. He attended St Robert of Newminster Catholic School. He grew up supporting his local football club, Sunderland. Pickford began dating Megan Davison whilst at secondary school. In March 2020, they married. The couple have a son who was born in 2019, and two daughters born in 2023 and 2025. He is not related to George Pickford, another goalkeeper at Everton who plays for the youth team.