We have been asking ECHO readers whether Jude Bellingham and pundits like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were right about Jordan Pickford
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 15: Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina and Jordan Pickford #1 of England embrace after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final match between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium on July 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Jordan Pickford and Lionel Messi embrace after England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina(Image: Patrick Smith - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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The one thing Evertonians know by now is that if Jordan Pickford - the player, maybe more than any other, who has ensured Everton remain a Premier League club - makes a mistake, or even a perceived mistake, you will never hear the end of it.
And that has certainly been the case this week after England's heart breaking 2-1 loss to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals.
There could no be complaints about the final outcome, which would have been settled long before Lautaro Martinez headed home in the 92nd minute had it not been for Pickford's string of second-half saves.
Those saves, of course, have now been forgotten, given what his England team-mate Jude Bellingham did in the aftermath of Enzo Fernandez's 85th-minute equaliser.
Bellingham, along with pundits like Jamie Carragher, seemingly believe that Pickford should have saved the Chelsea midfielder's shot despite having a sea of bodies in front of him.
Our Everton FC correspondent Joe Thomas makes a compelling argument that the person who should be blamed for the killer goal is England boss Thomas Tuchel, who let's face it, did not cover himself in glory with his in-game management after Pickford's former Blues team-mate Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 55th minute.
Pickford has not been without fault at the World Cup. He will have been disappointed to have been beaten at his near post against DR Congo, although Brian Cipenga's strike, taken early, was a fine one, and the same applies to Andreas Schjelderup's freak goal for Norway.
But the Fernandez one? Not for me. But with the likes of Gary Neville also believing the Everton hero was at fault, we have been asking ECHO readers for their verdicts.
You can have a go at the poll yourself here:
At the time of writing, 68% of readers believe that Pickford was not to blame, with 32% saying he was.
The 32-year-old will now take some well-deserved time off before returning to the Blues ahead of the start of the Premier League season.
Pickford will return as England's all-time record appearance holder at World Cup finals (19) and having now reached two semi-finals and two finals of major tournaments during an international career that has seen him win 91 caps.