It was barely three months ago that Anthony Gordon's place in the England starting eleven was anything but secure. Now, the Barcelona winger is the most in-form attacking player at Thomas Tuchel's disposal — with 10 goal involvements in his last 10 international appearances.

A slow start that nobody will remember

Gordon entered FIFA World Cup 2026 on uncertain footing. He scored and assisted in the final warm-up against Costa Rica to claim his starting spot ahead of the tournament opener with Croatia, yet plenty of observers remained unconvinced.

That scepticism appeared justified after goalless outings against Croatia and Ghana. Tuchel dropped him for the must-win group decider against Panama, but Gordon responded emphatically on his return — setting up both of Harry Kane's goals in the comeback victory over DR Congo.

He has not looked back since. An assist against Norway, then a defining goal in the semi-final against Argentina, have cemented his place as one of England's most vital attackers.

A four-game scoring streak for the ages

Gordon is now on a four-game international scoring streak — the longest of any current England player and the longest by any England outfield player not named Harry Kane in almost six years. His strikes in the UEFA Nations League against Spain and the Czech Republic were both match-changing moments, underlining his ability to deliver in high-stakes situations.

That is a remarkable statistic for any player, let alone one whose output was openly questioned right up to the eve of the summer tournament. In his first 18 England appearances before the Costa Rica warm-up, Gordon had managed only two goals and one assist.

Recency bias and a Premier League shadow

Much of the doubt traced back to a difficult final season at Newcastle, where he recorded just five non-penalty goal involvements in the Premier League. That number framed the narrative around him — yet only two seasons earlier he had produced four times that figure in his debut campaign on Tyneside.