Jordan Pickford's classy act following England's harrowing World Cup exit underlined his emergence as a leader during a dramatic 2022 for club and country.
Pickford's performances have been top class through the last 12 months and beyond - as crucial to Everton's Premier League survival as they were to England's progress in Qatar and the past two major tournaments. His rise as a dressing room talisman has been more of a surprise, though.
Frank Lampard became the first manager to hand Pickford the captaincy in his senior career in April. Since then he has consolidated his position as a key personality at Everton - and his instinct to protect Harry Kane at the height of the Tottenham Hotspur striker's devastation suggests he has made similar strides for his national side.
