England’s Jordan Pickford at Al Wakrah SC Stadium in Doha, Qatar
(Picture: Alex Pantling / Getty Images)While his England teammates binge Game of Thrones and The Crown between World Cup matches, Jordan Pickford is busy gaming.
The Three Lions goalkeeper is a big fan of Fortnite, but he’s not content playing on his phone during his downtime. Instead, he’s taken his love of the game to new heights by building a custom gaming setup, which he was filmed taking to Qatar in a sleek black suitcase monogrammed with his initials.
Inside is his custom-built laptop that connects to a full-size monitor similar to the one he uses at home, Pickford revealed.
He was shown the footage as part of a 20-minute interview on the England squad YouTube channel in which he discussed everything from the goalkeepers’ union to his love of golf. Asked what he was getting up to in Qatar, he revealed that, aside from his main duties, he was hooked on Fortnite.
In the past, Pickford said he’d lugged his laptop to matches, but found that his performance suffered compared to his skills on the PC. So, he decided to get something beefier built and shipped over to Qatar.
“Just trying to get the best frames and that,” Pickford explained. “Trying to get the upper hand.”
Of course, you can play Fortnite on mobiles and even stream it on GeForce Now, but the cramped screen space and input lag just doesn’t cut it for the most competitive players. Especially when the aim is to outlast everyone else to be the last alive and gain that glorious Victory Royale. Plus, what better way to enjoy the game’s newly released Chapter 4 - complete with a new island and dirt bikes - than on a high-spec laptop.
Pickford isn’t the only England player to profess his love of Fortnite. Skipper Harry Kane, Raheem Stirling, and Kieran Tripper have previously said they play together.
