Everton star matches England record with legendary keeper who stunned Pele

Everton’s Jordan Pickford has written himself into the history books at international level for England after matching Gordon Banks for clean sheets and appearances.

Having made his debut in 2017, Pickford has been the undisputed number one across that period, rising from a young maverick and developing into a reliable and strong goalkeeper for club and country.

The 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland confirmed England’s return to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League and it was another clean sheet for Pickford - his 35th across 73 appearances so far. That record is identical to Gordon Banks, who is widely regarded as England’s best keeper of all time.

One thing Pickford has over the rest of England’s greatest shot stoppers is the amount of games played in major tournaments. Having played in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and both the Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 competitions, he has 26 which is the most by any keeper. He surpassed Peter Shilton’s 21 caps against Denmark in the summer and his sights will be set on reaching 76 appearances, which will put him clear of David Seaman and Joe Hart.

His emulation of Banks’ record is incredibly impressive. After all, he stunned the world with his save from Pele in the World Cup in 1970 with many dubbing it the greatest save of century. It left the Brazilian in total shock as he recounted in 2019, when Banks passed away. “The save was one of the best I have ever seen – in real life and in all the thousands of games I have watched since,” Pele said.

“When you are a footballer, you know straight away how well you have hit the ball. I hit that header exactly as I had hoped. Exactly where I wanted it to go. And I was ready to celebrate. But then this man, Banks, appeared in my sight, like a kind of blue phantom, is how I described him. He came from nowhere and he did something I didn’t feel was possible. He pushed my header, somehow, up and over.”

“And I couldn’t believe what I saw. Even now when I watch it, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe how he moved so far, so fast. I scored so many goals in my life, but many people, when they meet me, always ask me about that save.”

For Pickford, who is still 30, he will want to finally end England’s torrid run at major competitions having lost in two Euro finals and one World Cup semi. The 2026 World Cup and Euro 2028 will be significant targets given that England will stand among the favourites for both with their strong and developing squad. Perhaps he can add to the catalogue of star moments that include penalty shootout saves and acrobatic saves that have categorised his time as the England number one so far.