James Trafford admits he has to become number one to challenge Jordan Pickford for the England jersey. Trafford, 23, finished the season with two trophies, winning both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, helping Manchester City win a double domestic cup.
But Trafford said he moved to the Etihad with the aim of becoming City’s No. 1 and England’s first-choice keeper. City signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, but it didn’t work out that way, with Trafford admitting it was “very difficult” to sit on the bench in a Premier League game.
When asked if he had to be number one at club level to get the England shirt, Trafford said: “I think history says yes. I don’t think there’s ever been a start as a top country goalkeeper other than number one at a club. So, apart from history, I would say yes.”
“Last season was obviously very challenging, but looking back, I learned and grew so much. I thought I had experienced a lot in my career, but this was all new for me.”
“Obviously it was very tough, some days were tougher than others, but one thing I wanted to keep doing was keep winning and getting better every day.
“I continued to do that and was able to finish the season having helped win two trophies. It was a very challenging season, but I learned a lot for myself and to move forward with my career.”
“I still have to perform at the highest level and if I had been England number one in the tournament when I moved, that would have been great.
“I would have been very happy, but obviously it didn’t happen. They obviously ended up signing Gigi, but I didn’t play most of the games. That’s football, right?”
“The two trophies were really great. Every day I was thinking, ‘Keep growing, keep trying to win that day and see where it takes me.’ In the cup competitions, I was able to get as many games as I could because I got to the finals both times.”
“At the end of the day, I knew that whenever I played, I had to perform, and once I performed, everything would take care of itself.”
Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel revealed he was not happy with England being used as an example for referees in a video presentation on how to stop grappling in corners this World Cup. During a friendly against Uruguay in March, referees were shown footage of Adam Wharton blocking a corner and allowing Ben White to score.
James Trafford remains keen to become England number one (Image: Getty Images)
Tuchel’s side were briefed by the referee on what would be allowed ahead of the tournament, and Trafford insisted wrestling at set pieces was nothing new but it was unfair for England to be singled out.
Trafford added: “If you take England as an example, that might be a bit unfair. When the ball comes in, I’m just looking at the ball. I don’t know if somebody’s grappling or not, what somebody’s doing. Obviously they’re trying to change something by changing the rules.”
“I think this year’s blocking in the league is really the first year that everyone was talking about it. I don’t think it’s new. Even if you look at the last few years, everyone blocked goalies.”
“It’s just because people are talking about it more. Like everyone talks about long throws, but it’s always been in the game. People are just excited to talk about it.”
Trafford and his England colleagues have been given special luxuries to feel at home at their World Cup home. Football association executives asked the WAG to provide memorabilia, photos and gifts to be placed in players’ rooms when they arrive at the Inn at Meadowbrook resort in Kansas.
England players have luxuries such as dartboards during camp (Image: Getty Images)
The photos were scanned onto an iPad and left in the room, which was set up with a basketball hoop, game room and TV so they could watch sports together. England goalkeeper James Trafford even revealed that his other half bought him a Lego set to build a tractor because he grew up on a farm in Cumbria and knows how to drive one.
She left him a series of gifts to open every week, and other WAGs did the same for other England stars. Ms Trafford said: “‘I saw a little iPad and a slideshow of pictures and my sisters were sending me pictures, which was a nice surprise. The first picture was me and the young lady. Then I had a box that the young lady had made for us. It was such a nice little personal touch.
“She set up some things to open at different stages. She put a couple of face masks in there, which was very thoughtful. And she also put a Lego set in there.
“My little girl doesn’t know anything about soccer. I said I’d be away for seven weeks, probably a month and a half. She believed me and came up with something different every week.”
“Lego is a tractor. I’m a farmer, right? She gave me a tractor to build. It’s not the biggest, but I haven’t built it yet. I’ve only been here a day. I don’t want to jump the gun too soon. I built a tractor.”
“We have a basketball hoop, and then we have a lot of common areas, recovery areas, pools, saunas, relaxation areas. Well, it’s all good and beneficial for us.
“There was a basketball game the other day and I knew what was going on, but I wasn’t really interested and just watched the football game against Scotland on TV.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with Sky Glass ‘designed for soccer’
From £4.50
sky
Get the deal here
Sky is marking the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 20% discount on its entire range of glass TVs. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to a Sky smart TV ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 a month when taken with a Sky TV and Netflix package.
