James Trafford says club No1 role is vital for England No1
james trafford says he must become a first-choice goalkeeper at club level if he is ever going to be England No1. The 23-year-old is England’s third-choice goalkeeper and has tied that ambition directly to regular club football, not reputation.
Trafford and Donnarumma at City
Trafford spent this summer behind Gianluigi Donnarumma after Manchester City signed the Italian late in last summer’s window. That followed Trafford’s move from Burnley earlier in the same window, when he had been told by Pep Guardiola and the club’s recruitment team that he would immediately become City’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Instead, he played chiefly in cup competitions and said he still believes he learned a lot from Guardiola before the manager left and Enzo Maresca arrived. The shift left Trafford in a different place at club level, and that is the point he kept returning to when asked about his England future.
Pickford’s England hold
Trafford’s route is blocked by more than his own club situation. Jordan Pickford has held England’s No1 position since 2017, while Trafford has been at the World Cup as the third-choice goalkeeper. He framed the job in blunt terms: “Just because you play for a certain club doesn't mean that you automatically play for the national team — you have still got to show your level, you have still got to perform at the highest level,”
He also pointed to the pattern he sees at the top of the international game. “History says yeah. I think there hasn’t been a goalie start for any of the top nations that isn't a No1 at the club, so going off history, I'd say yes.” For Trafford, that makes the club job more than a preference; it is the standard he believes England selection tends to follow.
Trafford’s next move
That leaves him weighing his own career path rather than chasing a simple promise from one club or another. “You never know, whether I move, whether I don't move, I do what's right for me and my career.”
He is still focused on the same World Cup objective as everyone else around him. “No one's an idiot. The whole goal is to win the World Cup, so everyone is going to do their best to try and win the World Cup and whether that's you play every single minute or don't play a minute, everyone is here to support each other to win the World Cup, because what a massive achievement it is to win the World Cup.”
At 23, Trafford is already making the link between where he starts each week and where he wants to end up for England. “It only happens every four years. That means everyone pushing towards the same goal.”
