Anthony Gordon has recovered from a poor start to the World Cup to play a key role for England in the knockout stage. The 25-year-old winger, who completed a £60.7m transfer to Barcelona from Newcastle in May, is driven by a thirst for self-improvement ahead of Saturday's quarter-final against Norway in Miami.
Lighthearted Moment with Mexico Manager
During England's last-16 match against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, Mexico manager Javier Aguirre shouted "Fuck you" at Gordon, which both found funny. Gordon recalls: "It was a bit of fun. I'd just run the full-back down the line so it was a bit of a compliment from him." Gordon started brightly and was involved in Jude Bellingham's second goal, then won the critical penalty for Harry Kane to make it 3-1 after England's Jarell Quansah was sent off. England won 3-2, a triumph over adversity.
Overcoming Early Tournament Struggles
The World Cup started badly for Gordon. He barely saw the ball in England's opening 4-2 win against Croatia and was poor in the subsequent stalemate with Ghana. He was dropped for game three against Panama and was an unused substitute. Marcus Rashford, who took the No 11 shirt, started. However, when Gordon replaced Rashford in the 61st minute against the Democratic Republic of the Congo with England trailing 1-0, he provided two assists for Kane in the 2-1 victory.
Gordon reflects: "The reason I'll always do well is because my mentality towards disappointment is very good. The first two games didn't go how I dreamt of starting in a World Cup at all. But when I'm called upon against Congo, I reacted very well." He adds: "I missed a lot of football towards the end of the season [due to injury at Newcastle] and I didn't think it would feel how it felt in the first two games. I felt rusty. But I used them as a platform for the Congo game."
Early Life and Self-Improvement
Gordon was born in Norris Green, Liverpool, and moved to Walton, both poor areas. He says: "It made me who I am. It created a very strong character and fire in me to get out of that area and want better for my family." His thirst for self-improvement is insatiable; he answered questions in Spanish during his Barcelona presentation. He explains: "My drive … that is all we have. We play football and we kid ourselves that we play to win. We want to win, of course. But we want to see who we can become."
Challenges Against Mexico
Gordon acknowledges the challenges England faced against Mexico, including a tough travel schedule and altitude in Mexico City. He says: "I missed a night's sleep because I struggle to sleep on planes. We had two hours to the airport, a three-hour flight and then an hour to the hotel so that was a big problem." Regarding altitude: "I felt it as soon as we landed. I was sitting in my hotel room and you keep having to take deep breaths. I felt it in the first 20 minutes of the game in recovery sprints. Then, once the 20 minutes was gone, I was completely fine." He emphasises mind over matter: "There was so much talk about the altitude and I had to put that to bed and show it's not physical, it's mental."
Thomas Tuchel's Influence
Gordon describes England manager Thomas Tuchel as a "very spiritual" person and an "unbelievable motivator" who uses different sports and quotations. He says: "Everything is about the higher purpose with him. It's not about individuals. It's us killing our egos and putting ourselves beneath the end goal."
Focus on Norway
Gordon acknowledges the quirk of joining Barcelona as they released Rashford back to Manchester United. He says Rashford is a "lovely person, very misunderstood from the outside" and helped him with house-hunting in Barcelona. Looking ahead to the quarter-final against Norway, Gordon says: "It's a massive opportunity. The way you do anything is really important. We need to focus on how we play, how we train. That has got us to where we are. The minute we start looking at the outcome, the trophy, the medals, all the superficial stuff, is when we will fall off track."
