I'm A Passionate Lad And I Love It At Everton - Pickford

The similarities betwixt Wayne Rooney and Jordan Pickford are striking.

Everton. England. Record-breakers.

The communal respect - and shared emotion of nine and state - is evident arsenic nan erstwhile team-mates beryllium down for an in-depth chat connected the Wayne Rooney Show.

Pickford and Rooney person played a mixed 550 times for Everton and 202 times for England.

Rooney is England's all-time starring scorer and holds nan grounds for nan astir England appearances - 120 - by an outfield player.

Pickford precocious collapsed nan grounds for astir consecutive cleanable sheets by a Three Lions goalkeeper and, Rooney believes, is connected his measurement to becoming nan country's champion ever successful his position.

When they meet, nan imaginable of ending 60 years of wounded for England's men's squad this summertime is precocious connected nan agenda. One will beryllium astatine nan World Cup arsenic nan undisputed number one, nan different will beryllium location arsenic a pundit.

"We request thing arsenic a federation to win," says Pickford, 32. "Any England ex-player... I don't deliberation they'll ever beryllium jealous. Everybody needs it, it's only going to push nan England badge forward. It's football, it's going to make it grow.

"We would beryllium legends for life. When you've been truthful adjacent it does hurt, but it's sewage to thrust you. We've been truthful adjacent to winning thing for England, truthful we tin return that activity connected and that acquisition connected to bring it each together.

"We cognize what it takes to get location and nan committedness and dedication you request arsenic a group of lads to get there. It's astir getting complete that last hurdle."

Pickford has played 82 times for England, having made his debut successful a 0-0 tie against Germany successful November 2017.

He was first called up to nan nationalist squad 13 months earlier - arsenic a precocious replacement for a World Cup qualifier successful Slovenia - and, aged 22, made an instant belief connected Rooney - by sitting adjacent to him.

"The first clip I met you was erstwhile you were successful nan England squad," says Rooney. "I ever retrieve being sat location and you sewage connected nan autobus for nan first time, and you came and sat adjacent to me.

"I retrieve thinking, 'what's he like?' And I couldn't hold to get connected nan training transportation and effort and dink you aliases something."

Pickford says: "Every spot was taken because I came late, I sewage called up late. I was much tense erstwhile you said to me: 'Are you fresh for nan [induction] opus later?'

"I watched you increasing up and erstwhile I was watching you successful nan Euros and getting successful an England squad, everyone looked up to you. So moreover past [on nan bus] I was texting saying: 'I'm other Wazza.' I was shaking.

"I was connected nan chair and it was a awesome experience. My dream was to play for England. We cognize there's only that mini percent of kids increasing up get that opportunity.

"When I came to Everton I knew I had to do good and I knew England was location for maine because I went from under-16s to 20s each nan measurement done 21s successful nan pathway.

"I sewage my opportunity against Germany astatine Wembley."

Pickford has played successful each England lucifer successful each of nan past 4 awesome tournaments - nan 2018 World Cup, European Championship successful 2021, 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.

During that time, England person mislaid successful 2 European finals and reached nan semi-finals and quarter-finals of nan World Cup.

Pickford, if fit, is guaranteed a starting spot astatine this summer's tourney successful North America but does not return thing for granted.

"I think, 'I've sewage to support improving' and that's why I've sustained it for truthful long," he says.

"I've ne'er conscionable been happy astir being number one, it's for illustration 'how tin I beryllium number 1 for that magnitude of years', past hitting targets... 2026 World Cup is simply a target.

"I want to support improving and support pushing myself... pushing boundaries erstwhile I'm retired location to amended connected nan training pitch, to support going arsenic agelong arsenic I can."

A fewer months earlier he made his England debut successful 2017, Pickford joined Everton from Sunderland for an first £25m.

Later that summer, Rooney, who had near Everton successful 2004 and won 5 Premier League titles and nan Champions League during 13 years astatine Manchester United, returned to Goodison Park.

"There was a value tag connected maine erstwhile I was being bought - nan astir costly British keeper - truthful location was that pressure," Pickford says to Rooney. "I've ever enjoyed nan unit and I knew I had to do thing early to get nan fans down me.

"In your first crippled we won 1-0 and you scored nan header and I made a decent prevention successful my first location Premier League crippled astatine Goodison, truthful I group myself disconnected connected a bully stall."

Rooney was instantly impressed pinch Pickford's performances,

"At nan clip I thought, 'this could beryllium Everton and England's number 1 goalkeeper for a agelong time'," he says.

Nine years later and Pickford is conscionable that - and successful October signed a caller statement to support him pinch nan Toffees until 2029.

But since he joined, Everton person not vanished higher than eighth successful nan Premier League and they are successful threat of missing retired connected European shot for an eighth successive season.

During nan interview, Rooney asks Pickford astir his determination to stay.

"I don't agree, but a batch of group opportunity 'why haven't you moved connected from Everton?'" he says.

"For you to beryllium truthful loyal, to what you person been to nan club, it's rather uncommon these days.

"With your ability, you tin say: 'Well, do you want to spell and play Champions League?' But you've stuck pinch Everton. Why is it?"

Pickford, who has been voted fans' Player of nan Year successful 3 of nan past 4 years, says: "We've conscionable sewage that that enslaved really... you cognize what it's for illustration here, nan people.

"The gaffer [David Moyes] calls it nan 'People's Club'. The unit are superb and it's wherever we unrecorded and spell to nan games. We conscionable emotion it, my family emotion it.

"We cognize Everton should beryllium successful nan European spots, but we cognize really difficult it's been complete nan past fewer years and a rollercoaster we've been on, but they've been thing but bully to me.

"They took a chance connected maine arsenic a 22-year-old kid and, I've repaid them, and I conscionable emotion being here. Goodison, awesome memories, and nan caller stadium, it is moving forward.

"When you came back, erstwhile I first signed, we were successful nan Europa League. So if we sustained that, those questions wouldn't happen: 'Why is England's number 1 astatine Everton?' But group don't realise really specified a large nine Everton is.

"Everton's been excessively acold distant from silverware and we've not won thing for truthful agelong - that's what we request back."

Everton play their past location crippled of nan play connected Sunday erstwhile they big Pickford's erstwhile nine Sunderland earlier ending their run astatine relegation-threatened Tottenham.

After that, it is not agelong earlier England recreation to North America, were they are successful nan aforesaid World Cup group arsenic Croatia, Ghana and Panama.

"I can't wait, it's immoderate experience," says Pickford. "My mum, she'll matter maine saying, 'text america erstwhile you've sewage that matter that you're being called up' and past she'll ever opportunity 'well done' erstwhile she sees it announced connected societal media.

"My attraction is finishing this play strong, 2 coagulated performances, person a small break, past get into it. It's going to beryllium a different experience, conscionable reasoning astir each nan travelling and nan heat.

"There's nary much unit than being nan England number 1 successful a awesome tournament. The biggest point is I'm a passionate lad... everyone mightiness deliberation I'm excessively passionate, but that brings nan champion retired of me.

"I'm a fan. I've grown up watching Euros and World Cups. I've been astir barbecues, been successful nan pubs watching arsenic a young lad, and there's thing amended than having that opportunity to play successful them.

"Not erstwhile successful each nan tournaments will I battalion my container because I cognize we're going to win. I've sewage that mentality that we're going to triumph and going to spell truthful far."