Meet Jordan Pickford - England's penalty-saving hero loves boxing and is known as a 'nutter' by pals
With just one flick of his outstretched left hand, Jordan Pickford became a national hero.
The Everton goalkeeper denied Colombia's Carlos Bacca with a stunning save to set up Eric Dier's match-winning penalty, and England's route into the World Cup quarter-finals.
But Pickford is no overnight success. This is the story of the 24-year-old Sunderland boy who finally broke England's penalty shootout curse.
Jordan Pickford springs to his right to save a penalty from Colombia's Carlos Bacca
Pickford is mobbed by his England team-mates after the save helped England win the shootout
The 24-year-old is now a national hero after England's progress to the World Cup quarter-finals
Childhood
A Sunderland supporter growing up, Pickford hung outside the Stadium of Light gates to catch a glimpse of his idols. Not shy, he thrust a pen and paper through the car window of Kevin Ball to secure the autograph of the club captain.
Ball, of course, would go on to have a huge bearing on Pickford's future and has since been reminded of a picture the pair took together.
'He asked if I recognised who was in it,' Ball said. 'I said, "Well, the handsome one is obviously me, and I'm guessing that scrawny little kid is you?"'
Sunderland is in Pickford's blood, young boys in the North East now throwing themselves around pitches to resemble their local hero, who was born in Washington, eight miles from the Black Cats' home, a working class area, synonymous with the coal industry.
Sunderland fan Pickford posed for a picture as a youngster with midfielder Kevin Ball
First signs of stardom
Pickford – who attended St Robert of Newminster - joined the Sunderland academy when he was eight and boxed at the Washington Boxing Club as a youngster too.
Players from other European countries have extoled the virtues of committing to other sports. Pickford's range of movement was clearly evident when saving Carlos Bacca's penalty in Moscow.
He was a frustrated outfield player in his teens, desperate to roam in training and had to be told by team-mates to stick to what he was there for. Pickford operated in midfield at school, nicknamed Speedy, and the prowess with his feet is further proof that trying different things growing up has helped.
He still idolised goalkeepers though, with one excited Instagram post revealing his delight at receiving a signed shirt from former England No 1 Joe Hart.
He once excitedly showed off on Instagram a signed Joe Hart shirt he received
The Academy
Pickford was not scared of voicing an opinion and his was a steady progression. His height was mocked by Thibaut Courtois last week (Pickford is 6ft 1in) but that never proved a barrier as a teenager. Sunderland were happy with their man given his obvious ability.
Alongside Ball, former academy manager Ged McNamee and coach Mark Prudhoe are credited with his rise. By the time he reached the Under 16s, sizeable crowds were being drawn just to study his kicking. And he was saving penalties against Argentina in the Under 17 World Cup by the time he signed his first professional deal in 2011. So maybe Colombia was not the biggest surprise.
Such was his confidence, Pickford wanted to head straight for the Sunderland first team. Friends have remarked their surprise it took him quite so long – he only made his bow in 2016. But the loan path worked, with the clubs picked carefully.
Kicking on from the loans
Tough loan spells down in the lower leagues helped toughen Pickford - here here is sent off while playing for Preston in 2015
Darlington, Alfreton, Burton, Carlisle, Bradford and Preston may not sound an exotic list of destinations for a future England No 1. All served a significant purpose, however. He might even have faced Jamie Vardy on debut for Darlington in 2012 – a 1-0 defeat by Fleetwood Town. The striker missed out through injury, playing and scoring in the two games sandwiching that.
The one thing all six loan spells had in common is that the club wanted to keep Pickford on for another season. Yet his trajectory was as such that Sunderland continued moving him on. Darlington folded after relegation, so Alfreton was next and then into League Two with Burton by the start of the 2013-14 season.
Preston were desperate to keep hold of Pickford in 2016 but realised they were fighting a losing battle. From there he has not looked back, and Sunderland coaches put his loan progress down to managers and coaches at clubs having close links with the Stadium of Light.
The young goalkeeper takes a goal-kick during the early days of his career
Success with Sunderland
'He's a typical, down-to-earth local lad, there is no arrogance to him, it's all confidence,' says Adrian Tucker, the former Sunderland goalkeeping coach who worked with Pickford after his first-team breakthrough.
Pickford made his first-team debut aged just 21 in a 3-1 FA Cup defeat by Arsenal in January 2016, and soon became the club's No 1 despite his young age. Sunderland limped to relegation the following season but Pickford still impressed enough to earn a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Pickford is the perfect team-mate, according to Sunderland midfielder George Honeyman. 'Off the pitch, he's the life and soul, no-one dislikes him,' says Honeyman. 'Everyone says goalkeepers are mad, but he genuinely is, he's a nutter, in the nicest way.'
Pickford broke into the Sunderland first team aged 21 and excelled despite the club's slump
He made a £30million move to Everton last summer as a reward for his fine form
Family
After his £30million move to Everton last summer, Pickford now lives on Merseyside with his childhood sweetheart Megan Davison, a University of Sunderland graduate who has accompanied him in Russia. Megan, 22, and Jordan have been dating since she was 14 and he was 16.
His potential future father-in-law, Gary Davison, was filmed in a heartwarming moment wildly celebrating after watching that penalty save, shouting 'me boy's a f****** hero!'
Pickford's dad Lee is a builder, and he was pulling onto his mother's driveway in October 2016 when he got the call to say he had been selected for England. Sue did not believe her son when he entered the terraced family home and delivered the shock news. Mum might need to pinch herself again this morning.
Mum Sue and dad Lee are proud parents - they are pictured watching him at Goodison Park
Pickford now lives with Megan Davison, his childhood sweetheart, on Merseyside
Megan showed her tension while watching from the stands during the penalty shootout