Anthony Gordon is having a much better time at the World Cup than he did at the Euros. The new Barcelona forward admitted Euro 2024 was essentially a lost summer for him, but he’s using that frustration to fuel his performance in 2026.
Gordon barely saw the pitch two years ago — just one minute of normal time and five minutes of stoppage time across England’s entire run to the final. He wore No. 18 then, and when he got the same number for this World Cup, it stung at first.
“I texted my agent and said I wanted No. 11,” Gordon said. “But when I got No. 18, I thought it’s actually a good thing because I get to put right in that number. In the Euros I felt like it was a waste of a summer for me. So I viewed this as an opportunity to make something special out of that number.”
Bench to hero
England’s first two World Cup games were quiet for Gordon. He started both but didn’t make much noise, while Marcus Rashford came off the bench and made a real impact against Croatia and Ghana. Then Gordon flipped the script against DR Congo.
He came on as a substitute and set up both of Harry Kane’s goals in a 2-1 comeback win. In the next game, a 3-2 victory against co-host Mexico, Gordon played the full 90 and looked like a different player entirely.
“When I’m called upon against DR Congo, I thought I reacted very well and got the two assists,” Gordon said. “I missed a lot of football toward the end of the season. I didn’t think it would feel how it felt in the first two games. I felt rusty, to be honest. I used that as a platform for the DR Congo game because I felt I played safe. I wasn’t playing to my individual strength, and when I got the chance, I just thought to myself, ‘I’m not doing that. I’m going to do the things that got me here.’ Obviously it paid off.”
Rashford relationship and a helping hand
Gordon and Rashford are competing for the same left-wing spot for England, but there’s no bad blood. In fact, Gordon went out of his way to defend Rashford, who’s taken a lot of criticism over the years.
“He is very misunderstood, I think, from the outside,” Gordon said. “From when I met him and from all the camps I have been on with him, he is a really nice person. He is very humble, just quite kid-like. He just loves playing football. You see him, he’s always got a ball doing kick-ups and stuff. Lovely guy, been well brought up, a nice family from what I know.”
There’s an awkward layer here though. Gordon signed for Barcelona from Newcastle this summer while Rashford was on loan at Barca from Manchester United. The club decided not to trigger the €30 million option to make the move permanent. That could have been awkward, but Rashford apparently took the high road.
“He congratulated me as soon as he saw me,” Gordon said. “To be honest, he has been really helpful. I am trying to look for a house and he has helped me with things about the club. He has been really helpful.”
So Gordon has a new club, a new number with a point to prove, and a rival who’s been helping him find a place to live. That’s not the typical war room narrative, but it’s the reality.
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