Andy Burnham has praised Jordan Pickford's heroic performance in England's 3-2 victory over Mexico in the World Cup round of 16. The Three Lions secured their spot in the quarter-finals with a famous win at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City.
Burnham Singles Out Pickford
Thomas Tuchel's team overcame trying conditions as goals from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham sealed the win. Pickford was in incredible form throughout, pulling off several stunning saves to keep England ahead. Burnham took to social media platform X on the morning after the match to single out the Everton goalkeeper for praise. The MP, who is widely expected to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, said: "Epic from England and Everton’s No1."
Pickford's Reaction
Pickford was one of the standout performers in a victory that will go down in England history. Reacting to the win after the game, he said: "What an atmosphere. What a performance. Incredible spirit. To the quarterfinals!! El bosh."
Burnham's Sporting Allegiances
Liverpool-born Burnham is a lifelong Evertonian and was in attendance at the Hill Dickinson stadium on Saturday, July 4, for the Super League's Magic Weekend. The 56-year-old, formerly the MP for Leigh, was there to support Leigh Leopards. Speaking ahead of the game, Burnham expressed his love for both Everton and the Betfred Super League side. He said: "In the early 80s, Everton were having one of their many bad phases, and my brother said, 'Leigh are doing alright, let's go and jump on the bandwagon.' It was the season of Des Drummond and John Woods, I saw Leigh lift that championship at Hill Park. I go a lot. I was the MP for Leigh, and I’ve worked with Mr (Derek) Beaumont over the years and on the building of the Leigh Sports Village."
Call for Alcohol Law Change
Leigh Leopards ran out 24-6 winners, and Burnham, now the newly elected MP for Makerfield, shared a video afterwards confirming he wants to look into changing laws to allow football fans in the top leagues to drink alcohol in their seats, as rugby fans can. Fans in the UK are prohibited from drinking at their seats due to the Sporting Events Act 1985, which legally bans consuming alcohol within direct view of the pitch. In a video that also included Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram holding what looked like a pint of lager, Burnham said: "I've only got one question though about this day today... How come these lads can do that in my seat here when we can't do that at an Everton home game? There's something wrong there, we need to take a look at that."
