Anthony Gordon provided the key for England to unlock the Czech Republic in the Nations League on Tuesday, continuing what has been an incredible coming of age at international level.
Gordon nodded home a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross from close range just after half-time following a frustrating first 45 minutes for the Three Lions, who went on to claim a 2-0 victory.
That strike came just days after Gordon applied a stylish finish to a sweeping England counter-attack in their 3-2 defeat to Spain at Wembley. This sort of form is the continuation of a trend rather than a rare moment in the sun.
England rise
Gordon made his senior England debut in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Brazil in March 2024. But he endured a tough start to life with the Three Lions.
The former Everton academy player failed to score or assist in his first eight caps before he finally netted in a 5-0 Nations League win over the Republic of Ireland in November 2024. Nevertheless, by the time Gordon completed 45 minutes against New Zealand in the buildup to the 2026 World Cup, his record stood at just two goals and zero assists in 18 caps.
During that time, Gordon played just one minute in England’s run to the Euro 2024 final, while struggling to string together consecutive starts in any competition.
But everything changed when England beat Costa Rica 3-0 in their final World Cup warmup match. Gordon assisted Declan Rice‘s opener in the first half and scoring from the penalty spot after the break.
The group stages in North America were nothing to write home about. But Gordon came to life in the knockout rounds. First, he assisted both of Harry Kane‘s goals in England’s 2-1 comeback win over DR Congo in the last-32. Then, he provided further assists against Mexico and Norway, before opening the scoring as England heartbreakingly lost 2-1 in the semi-finals.
Including the current international break, Gordon has extended his international tally to six goals and five assists in 27 caps. The key, however, is that nine of his 11 direct goal involvements have come in his last nine caps. And he’s scored or assisted at least once in each of his last six England appearances.
Gordon thriving under Barcelona pressure
Gordon spent years as a key player for Newcastle United following his January 2023 move from Everton. With 39 goals and 21 assists to his name in 152 appearances, he certainly rose to the task.
However, this summer’s move to Barcelona has placed the Scouser under a whole new level of scrutiny. No quarter is asked or given at Camp Nou, where you succeed, or you leave.
Gordon is yet to score for his new club. However, he does have four assists, helping the Blaugrana put the likes of Valencia, Rayo Vallecano and Elche to the sword.
Barcelona have won all eight of their games across all competitions this season and are scoring freely. Amid the attacking chaos, Gordon is behind only Lamine Yamal (4.96) and Karim Adeyemi (3.54) for successful take-ons (2.55) in the league and Champions League. He also joins Yamal (six) as the only Barca player with more than three assists.
Before the international break, Gordon said: “I think people respect my game a little bit more now. I think when you play for Barcelona, people automatically think you have to be technically good, you have to be tactically smart. I feel like maybe before, people just thought I was fast and worked hard.”
It might be the case that Gordon now commands more respect by wearing the Barcelona jersey. But he’s also doing it with performances on the pitch.
That’s especially the case for England. Gordon has gone from an exciting talent to undisputed starter in key games. He’s one of a very small number in that group, alongside only Kane, Jude Bellingham, Elliot Anderson and Jordan Pickford. And even the latter now faces competition from James Trafford.
Take it from Tuchel himself, who had this to say about Gordon following the win in Prague: “Now he arrives full of confidence. He wanted to prove a point that it is his shirt on the left-hand side, and that is exactly what he does, what we want, and he gets the praise for it.”