Italy’s No 1 has tremendous presence, reach and charisma, while England’s Pickford excels on speed and technical skills
Sunday’s Wembley final is high noon between the goalposts: England’s Jordan Pickford versus Gianluigi Donnarumma of
Italy. Craig Liddle, Pickford’s former manager at Darlington, believes that the Everton player is potentially the best goalkeeper in the world. I wouldn’t go that far, but truly Pickford is among the best. But so is his Italian rival – and his name sounds like a Verdi opera.
How do they compare? On the line Pickford definitely has the advantage. He moves smoothly, like a jaguar, is extremely quick on his feet and has astounding reflexes. No wonder that they called him “Speedy” at school. He is not as tall as Donnarumma, rather small for a modern goalie at 1.85m, a fraction over 6ft. The Italian measures 1.96m, 6ft 4in, but does not have the same reaction speed. Advantage Pickford, 1-0.