Everton legend Gary Lineker has named one of the Toffees’ current stars as being up there with the best in the Premier League – with the former striker labelling the player in question as ‘consistently brilliant’.
Gary Lineker was Everton’s mantlepiece star back in the halcyon days of the 1980s, spending just one season at Goodison Park but scoring 40 goals in 57 games for the club before his move to Barcelona.
Lineker, who later starred for Tottenham Hotspur in the top-flight with 67 goals in just 105 games, was the Match of the Day presenter for 26 years until the current season, and with the fourth-most goals in England history, he’s a well-respected name in British football.
And that has seen him rank Jordan Pickford as one of the best in the Premier League, labelling the stopper alongside two of the division’s best goalkeepers in the process.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
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Gary Lineker thinks Jordan Pickford is among the best in the top-flight
Looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Lineker named the Premier League’s best goalkeepers who will get the chance to shine on the big stage – and Pickford was a name that he held in the highest regard.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, the England legend said: “[David] Raya has been brilliant. As has, consistently, Jordan Pickford. I would throw him in there as well.
“Probably Alisson when fit. He’s special.”
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It’s no surprise. If you had started the Premier League table from the fifth game of last season until the end of the campaign, Everton conceded the least goals of any side in the division, ranking ahead of David Raya’s Arsenal and Alisson’s Liverpool in the process.
Pickford is a major reason for that, and he is slowly but surely earning his flowers as one of the best goalkeepers in the league.
Jordan Pickford has quietly been among the Premier League’s top goalkeepers for years
There always seems to be a notion that Jordan Pickford is capable of dropping a clanger for Everton, despite his form for England clearly showing that he’s never let the Three Lions down.
But that hasn’t been the case for a while. Admittedly, Pickford wasn’t at his best in the early parts of the 2020-21 Premier League season which was marred by Covid-19, but since then, he’s been more than dependable. His outstanding form in the 2021-22 season was a major reason why Everton stayed in the Premier League, and the same rang true the following campaign with a series of fine displays. It’s no surprise that Pickford believes he can surpass Neville Southall in Everton stardom.
In fact, ever since Pickford’s move to Goodison Park in 2017, you could argue that only a handful of goalkeepers have been more consistent and successful.
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The obvious shouts are Brazilian duo Alisson Becker and Ederson Moraes, of Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, for their Premier League trophy hauls. That much is fair. However, beyond that, you really are struggling.
Nick Pope is a potential shout after his dominating Burnley performances and Champions League qualifications with Newcastle – but with Pickford keeping him out of the England team, you can’t really include him.
Emiliano Martinez probably gets the nod after his World Cup heroics and a Ballon d’Or nomination, and David Raya also – though Pickford has another four years of appearances under his belt, at least edging the Spaniard for consistency. After that, you are toiling to find a better stopper than the Three Lions icon.