It seems like ages ago when Anthony Gordon's place in the England lineup was anything but guaranteed. The turning point arrived in the last warm‑up match before the World Cup, a game against Costa Rica, where Gordon found the net once and created another goal. That performance finally convinced the coaching staff to hand him a starting berth for the opening fixture against Croatia.
Even then, a number of Sky Sports journalists remained skeptical, waiting for consistent proof of his worth. Fast forward barely three months, and Gordon has become a fixture on Thomas Tuchel’s matchday roster, earning a reputation as one of the most valuable attacking assets at the England camp. After a tentative start to the tournament, something clicked for the winger. England’s first two group games – a stalemate with Croatia and a narrow defeat to Ghana – saw Gordon omitted for the decisive final match against Panama.
When he returned to the squad, he immediately made an impact, delivering the assists for both of Harry Kane’s goals in the dramatic comeback victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo. His influence didn’t stop there.
In the subsequent Nations League encounter with Norway, Gordon supplied another decisive pass, and he capped his rising profile with a memorable strike in England’s semi‑final against Argentina – the biggest stage of the competition. That goal, combined with his earlier contributions, has propelled both the nation and Gordon himself into the spotlight. At present the Barcelona‑based winger is riding a four‑game international scoring streak, the longest run of any England player other than Harry Kane in almost six years.
Achieving such consistency would be impressive for any footballer, let alone someone whose attacking output had been openly questioned up until the eve of the summer tournament. During the early phases of the World Cup, Gordon struggled to translate his club form into the England shirt. Yet over the last ten appearances for his country, he has amassed ten goal involvements – a tally that places him among the most prolific front‑four units in contemporary international football.
By contrast, his final season at Newcastle United under the intense scrutiny of the Premier League yielded merely five non‑penalty goal contributions, a stark contrast that coloured many pundits’ opinions ahead of the tournament. The memory of his prolific first spell on Tyneside, when he recorded four times as many goal involvements, had faded. Frustrated by the lack of recognition, Gordon told ITV before the World Cup camp that his "quality and football IQ" had been undervalued by English fans.
He felt the move to Barcelona would finally allow his abilities to be appreciated. Indeed, his talent had always been evident – his early years at Newcastle and brief stints at Everton showcased his potential – but consistency, rather than raw skill, remained the chief concern of his coaches. Barcelona’s hierarchy shared this belief. Sporting director Deco and head coach Hansi Flick, following Tuchel’s recommendation, decided to invest in Gordon despite his recent Premier League struggles, signing him for a fee more than double what a fellow England teammate would have cost.
Their gamble paid off: Gordon’s performance in the previous season’s Champions League saw him score ten goals in twelve games, a tally surpassed only by Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé. Those exploits did not go unnoticed at the Camp Nou, where the club had already been monitoring his progress. Ironically, Gordon recently complained that he had been valued only for his work‑rate and speed before his Barcelona transfer. This remark came just days after Deco told Spanish outlet RAC1 that it was Gordon’s "intensity" that attracted the club.
The paradox highlights how perception can shift dramatically when a player moves to a new environment. The 25‑year‑old’s recent form suggests he has indeed taken his game to a higher level. Prior to the Costa Rica friendly, Gordon had recorded just two goals and one assist across his first 18 England caps. Since then, he has repeatedly delivered when England needed answers – whether it was the decisive strike in the World Cup semi‑final, or the game‑changing goals against Spain and the Czech Republic in the Nations League.
Gordon’s self‑belief has always been a hallmark of his character. He famously revealed at his Barcelona unveiling that he had dreamed of playing for the club since the age of three, delivering his speech confidently in Spanish.
The World Cup run has likely bolstered his confidence further, and his signing makes him the first English player to join Barcelona on a permanent deal since Gary Lineker, four decades earlier. He has hit the ground running at the Nou Camp. Fans have quickly taken to him, with social media buzzing over his four assists in his first six LaLiga appearances – a figure double his assist total from his final Premier League season and tied for the most in the league this term. Deco has publicly urged Gordon to sharpen his finishing, but his recent England scoring spree suggests that improvement is already underway.
Whether Gordon can sustain his bright start in Catalonia and maintain his England scoring form, or if long‑term consistency will continue to be his greatest hurdle, remains to be seen. One thing is clear: if he can bridge the gap between flashes of brilliance and week‑in, week‑out reliability, both club and country will possess a truly formidable talent.