The England keeper was gesturing in a manner that he couldn’t hear and was standing behind the transparent advertising board used for on-pitch interviews immediately after the games.
The picture went viral on social media as it only glorified Pickford further for his regular shithousery. But there was just a small problem.
In the picture, Pickford was seen wearing a yellow kit, contradicting the green one he wore during the game, the most dead giveaway that the picture was edited.
Pickford’s pose is from the 2022 World Cup against Iran.
Van Dijk’s post-match comment made it far more fitting, as Pickford’s gesture was indicative of van Dijk’s sour talk after the loss.
The point of discussion in the game was the penalty given in favor of England.
After Kane struck a volley that flew over the bar, his follow-through caught Denzel Dumfries’s blocking leg.
The referee awarded the penalty after a VAR check, which leveled the scores.
The reaction of van Dijk was understandable and adding Pickford in the background made sense given their rivalry at club level.
Apart from tussling in the Merseyside derby every season, Pickford’s history with van Dijk is a bit more complicated than that.
Those who have a long memory can recall the incident between the two in 2020 when Pickford’s lunge hurt van Dijk, causing an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The defender missed 9 months of action before returning to fitness next season.
Not only that, Pickford’s heroics against Liverpool helped Everton get a shock 2-0 win, subsequently ending the Red’s title hopes in mid-April.
The Everton-Liverpool rivalry attached to the duo added another layer to the credibility of the picture but the clever piece of photoshop done by the X user named, manxpie86.
Pickford’s antics before the penalty shootout against Switzerland also made him a cult figure in the meme community. Knocking 3 Liverpool players in a game is what Evertonian dreams are made of.
Had he actually done what the edit suggests, there could’ve been an all-out brawl on the pitch given the foul mood of the Dutch brigade. So it was rather safer for Pickford, as his banter remained in the realms of social media.
