James Trafford

English footballer (born 2002)

James Trafford

Trafford with Burnley in 2025

Personal information
Full name|  James Harrington Trafford[1]
Date of birth|  (2002-10-10) 10 October 2002 (age 22)[2]
Place of birth|  Cockermouth, England
Height|  6 ft 6 in (1.97 m)[2]
Position(s)|  Goalkeeper
Team information

Current team

|  Manchester City
Number|  1
Youth career
|  Cockermouth
|  Carlisle United
2015–2021|  Manchester City
Senior career*
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
2021–2023|  Manchester City|  0|  (0)
2021–2022|  → Accrington Stanley (loan)|  11|  (0)
2022|  → Bolton Wanderers (loan)|  22|  (0)
2022–2023|  → Bolton Wanderers (loan)|  45|  (0)
2023–2025|  Burnley|  73|  (0)
2025–|  Manchester City|  0|  (0)
International career‡
2018–2019|  England U17|  7|  (0)
2019|  England U18|  2|  (0)
2019|  England U19|  1|  (0)
2021–2022|  England U20|  5|  (0)
2022–|  England U21|  19|  (0)

Medal record

Representing  England
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner | 2023 |

* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:55, 3 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 13:00, 12 October 2024 (UTC)

James Harrington Trafford (born 10 October 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester City.[3]

## Early life

[edit]

Trafford was born in Cockermouth, Cumbria,[4] and grew up in the nearby village of Greysouthen in a farming family.[5] He was a Chelsea fan.[5] He attended Cockermouth School and St Bede's College.[5] He learned to drive on a tractor[6] and in his early career he would return to help out on the family farm in the off-season.[7]

## Club career

[edit]

### Manchester City

[edit]

Trafford began his career with Cockermouth and Carlisle United, signing with Manchester City in August 2015 at the age of 12.[5] At Carlisle he began as a midfielder but volunteered to become a goalkeeper at age nine.[7] He was part of the Manchester City Under-18s team that won the 2019–20 Professional U18 Development League and the Under-23s team that won the 2020–21 Professional U23 Development League.[8]

He moved on loan to Accrington Stanley in July 2021.[9] This loan was later described as "challenging" due to injuries and losing his first-team place.[7]

#### Bolton Wanderers

[edit]

Trafford signed on loan for Bolton Wanderers on 13 January 2022, until the end of the 2021–22 season.[10] He kept four clean sheets in his first four games, the first time a goalkeeper had done so in Bolton's entire history.[11][12][6]

On 15 June 2022, Trafford rejoined Bolton on loan for a further season.[13][14] In July 2022, he signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City.[15] By October he was noted for his clean sheets,[16] and Trafford broke Bolton's record for consecutive home clean sheets on 4 February, with the 1–0 win over Cheltenham Town being his eighth in a row.[17][18][19] He was able to extend the record to nine,[20][6] though was unable to have it reach double figures as on 25 February he conceded against Port Vale in a 2–1 win, the first time since 2 December.[21] On 2 April, he started in the 2023 EFL Trophy final and kept a clean sheet in 4–0 win against Plymouth Argyle.[22] Trafford's clean sheet in a 1–0 win against Shrewbury Town on 22 April was his 25th of the season, which broke the record for the most clean sheets by a Bolton goalkeeper in one season.[23][24] He finished the season with a total of 26 clean sheets.[6] He helped Bolton qualify for the play-offs, though they were defeated by Barnsley in the semi-finals.[25] He was voted as Bolton's Young Player of the Year for the 2022–23 season, together with Conor Bradley.[26][27] His performances during the season saw him named in the PFA Team of the Year for League One.[28] He said his time at Bolton turned him from a "long, skinny boy" into a "long, skinny man".[29]

### Burnley

[edit]

On 3 July 2023, it was announced that a £15 million transfer fee had been agreed between Manchester City and Burnley for Trafford.[30] With add-ons, the deal could reach a total of £19 million — which if met would break Burnley's transfer record.[6] On 20 July 2023, Trafford's move to Burnley was officially completed.[31][32] Due to their sell-on clause, Carlisle United got 15% of the fee for around £2.25m.[33] He became the third most expensive British goalkeeper in history.[34]

He made his Burnley and Premier League debut on 11 August 2023, in a 3–0 home defeat to his former club Manchester City.[35] He earned high praise after Man of the Match performance in a 1–1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on 9 December in which he made 10 saves.[36][37]

In January 2025, he saved two penalties in a league match against Sunderland,[38][39] being praised by manager Scott Parker as a "special" player.[40] Having not conceded a goal across any of their six matches in the month, he was named EFL Championship Player of the Month.[41] By February 2025, Trafford had gone 1,000 minutes without conceding a goal.[42] In March 2025, this streak came to an end in Burnley's EFL Championship match against Cardiff City, with Yousef Salech scoring in the 42nd minute.[43] During this run, Trafford got 12 clean sheets in a row — breaking the record for the most consecutive clean sheets in Championship history (the prior record was 10).[44] After 33 games, Trafford/Burnley had conceded only 9 goals — the lowest in the history of English Football at that point of the season.[45] Trafford finished the season with 29 clean sheets,[46] which equalled the record for a goalkeeper in a single season in English football.[47] During the 2024–25 season, Burnley conceded only 16 goals in 46 games, the least in the history of the Football League, beating the previous record of 20,[48][45] although this was 1 more than Chelsea's 15 conceded in 38 games in the 2004–05 Premier League.[45]

### Return to Manchester City

[edit]

On 29 July 2025, Manchester City announced the return of Trafford on a five-year deal, after activating their buy-back clause and matching Newcastle United's £31 million bid.[8][49][50] Trafford's official fee was £31 million (being the record paid for a British goalkeeper), although City received £4 million back due to their sell-on clause, and so only paid £27 million.[49][50]

## International career

[edit]

Trafford played his first international match of his career for England U17 on 24 March 2018 against Croatia U17 in which he saved a penalty and kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw despite England being down to ten men.[51] He made a further six appearances for the U17 including one appearance at the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, then played twice for England U18, and once for England U19.[52]

On 6 September 2021, Trafford made his debut for the England U20s during a 6–1 victory over Romania U20s at St. George's Park.[53]

On 25 May 2022, Trafford received his first call up to the England U21 squad ahead of the final round of 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches.[54] Trafford made his debut in the 5–0 win away to Kosovo.[55]

On 14 June 2023, Trafford was included in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[56] He did not concede a goal during the tournament in six matches,[6] the first time a goalkeeper had done this in the tournament's history,[57] and saved a stoppage-time penalty and its rebound in the final against Spain as England won the game 1–0.[58] His mentality was praised by England under-21 manager Lee Carsley.[59] It was later reported that Trafford had told friends that he would save a penalty that game.[34]

Following an injury to Sam Johnstone in March 2024, Trafford received his first call up to the senior squad for a friendly against Belgium.[60][61] He was selected to England's provisional 33-member squad for Euro 2024.[62] On 6 June 2024, he was dropped from the final 26-man squad.[63]

## Style of play

[edit]

He spent his early career as an outfield player.[5] At Carlisle he began as a midfielder but volunteered to become a goalkeeper at age 9.[7] He has been praised for his reflexes and distribution.[64] He is noted for his ability to get clean sheets, breaking multiple records with Bolton Wanderers,[16][6][17][23] Burnley,[44][45] and winning the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship without conceding a goal.[6][58][57]

## Personal life

[edit]

In 2025, two years after leaving Bolton Wanderers, Trafford revealed he loved his time at the club so much that it had caused him to become a Bolton fan.[65]

## Career statistics

[edit]

As of match played 3 May 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition  Club  | Season  | League  | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other  | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|

Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals
Manchester City U23 | 2020–21[66] | — | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0
Manchester City | 2021–22[67] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
2022–23[68] | Premier League  | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Total  | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Accrington Stanley (loan)  | 2021–22[67] | League One | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0
Bolton Wanderers (loan)  | 2021–22[67] | League One  | 22 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 0
Bolton Wanderers (loan)  | 2022–23[68] | League One  | 45 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[b] | 0 | 52 | 0
Burnley | 2023–24[69] | Premier League  | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 28 | 0
2024–25[70] | Championship | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 45 | 0
Total  | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 0
Manchester City  | 2025–26 | Premier League  | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Career total  | 151 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 160 | 0

1. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy
2. ^ Four appearances in EFL Trophy, two appearances in League One play-offs

## Honours

[edit]

Manchester City Under-18s

* Professional U18 Development League: 2019–20[8]

Manchester City Under-23s

* Professional U23 Development League: 2020–21[8]

Bolton Wanderers

* EFL Trophy: 2022–23[22]

England U21

* UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2023[71]

Individual

* Bolton Wanderers Young Player of the Year: 2022–23 (shared)[26]
* UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2023[72]
* PFA Team of the Year: 2022–23 League One[28]
* EFL Championship Player of the Month: January 2025[41]
* EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2024–25[73]
* EFL Championship Golden Glove: 2024–25[74]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "EFL – Squad List 2021/22" (PDF). English English Football League. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
2. ^ a b "James Trafford". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
3. ^ James Trafford at Soccerway
4. ^ "A closer look at James Trafford's background". Burnley F.C. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
5. ^ a b c d e "James, 12, signs for mega-rich Man City". Times and Star. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h "From farm to final – England's future number one?". BBC Sport. 7 July 2023.
7. ^ a b c d Fisher, Ben (4 July 2023). "James Trafford is the rising star with designs on being England's No 1". The Guardian.
8. ^ a b c d "Trafford returns to Manchester City!". Manchester City F.C. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
9. ^ "Accrington sign Mumbongo and Trafford". BBC Sport.
10. ^ "James Trafford: Bolton Wanderers sign Manchester City goalkeeper". BBC Sport.
11. ^ "'I'm just a farm boy at heart' – Wanderers keeper Trafford on his rural roots". The Bolton News. 26 January 2022.
12. ^ "'REPORT: Wanderers 2 Cambridge Utd 0". Bolton Wanderers Official Website.
13. ^ "Trafford Back For More". Bolton Wanderers Official Website.
14. ^ "Trafford rejoins Bolton on loan from Man City". BBC Sport.
15. ^ McDougall, John (16 July 2022). "Man City goalkeeper on League One return over Championship loan". Manchester Evening News.
16. ^ a b McDougall, John (12 October 2022). "Bolton goalkeeper Trafford's impressive clean sheet haul & League One standings". Manchester Evening News.
17. ^ a b "Trafford: Record Is A Group Effort". www.bwfc.co.uk.
18. ^ "Cumbrian goalkeeper helps club break record". News and Star. 6 February 2023.
19. ^ Brown, Dan (4 February 2023). "Man City goalkeeping pecking order might be set to change". Manchester Evening News.
20. ^ "Bolton Wanderers 5–0 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC Sport.
21. ^ "Bolton Wanderers 2–1 Port Vale". BBC Sport.
22. ^ a b Pilnick, Brent (2 April 2023). "Bolton Wanderers 4–0 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
23. ^ a b Marc, Iles (23 April 2023). "Bolton Wanderers 1–0 Shrewsbury Town – Marc Iles's big match verdict". The Bolton News.
24. ^ Marc, Iles (30 April 2023). "Liverpool teen Conor Bradley wins hat-trick of Bolton Wanderers awards". The Bolton News.
25. ^ "Barnsley edge past Bolton to reach play-off final". BBC Sport. 18 May 2023.
26. ^ a b "Bradley Is Season Star". Bolton Wanderers. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
27. ^ Iles, Marc (30 April 2023). "'We're not finished yet!' Prize guy Conor wants more glory in the play-offs". The Bolton News. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
28. ^ a b "Erling Haaland: Manchester City forward wins PFA men's Player of the Year award". BBC Sport. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
29. ^ "James Trafford's thank-you message to Wanderers after play-off heroics". The Bolton News. 15 May 2023.
30. ^ "Burnley agree £15m deal for Man City's Trafford". BBC Sport. 3 July 2023.
31. ^ "CLARETS CAPTURE TRAFFORD". Burnley Football Club. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
32. ^ "Burnley sign Man City's Trafford in £19m deal". BBC Sport. 20 July 2023.
33. ^ "Report makes claim about Carlisle United cash from keeper transfer". News and Star. 17 July 2023.
34. ^ a b "James Trafford: Man City youth product and U21 penalty hero is a future England No 1 who can shine at Burnley". Sky Sports.
35. ^ "Cumbrian keeper makes Premier League debut against Haaland and City". News and Star. 12 August 2023.
36. ^ "Brighton 1–1 Burnley: James Trafford's late heroics earn relegation-threatened visitors crucial point". Sky Sports.
37. ^ "Vincent Kompany's immediate reaction to Burnley's draw at Brighton & James Trafford's solo display". 9 December 2023.
38. ^ Whittell, Ian (17 January 2025). "James Trafford saves two penalties to rescue Burnley against Sunderland". www.thetimes.com.
39. ^ "Cumbrian keeper stars with TWO penalty saves in one game". News and Star. 18 January 2025.
40. ^ Unwin, Will (17 January 2025). "Burnley's Parker hails 'special' Trafford after penalty saves deny Sunderland" - via The Guardian.
41. ^ a b "Sky Bet Championship Manager & Player of the Month January winners". www.efl.com. 7 February 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
42. ^ "Burnley: The stats behind the Clarets' 1,000 minutes without conceding". BBC Sport. 15 February 2025.
43. ^ "JJ Watt can stay in retirement after James Trafford's clean sheet streak ends". Yahoo Sports. 4 March 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
44. ^ a b Brodie, Alex; Millar, Colin (4 March 2025). "Burnley concede after record 12 league clean sheets in a row to keep JJ Watt in NFL retirement" - via NYTimes.com.
45. ^ a b c d "James Trafford interview: Burnley goalkeeper on clean-sheet record, JJ Watt wager and Sunderland penalty saves". Sky Sports.
46. ^ "James Trafford's verdict on remarkable season and transfer 'noise'". Yahoo Sports. 29 April 2025.
47. ^ "Queens Park Rangers v Burnley: Championship stats & head-to-head". BBC Sport.
48. ^ "Championship: Leeds United and Burnley's historic title race". BBC Sport. 3 May 2025.
49. ^ a b Stafford, Katie (29 July 2025). "Keeper Trafford returns 'home' to Man City for £27m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
50. ^ a b James Trafford transfer news: Man City complete deal to re-sign goalkeeper from Burnley
51. ^ Association, The Football. "Drama in Denmark as ten-men England held to a draw by Croatia in Euro qualifying". www.thefa.com.
52. ^ "James Trafford » Internationals". worldfootball.net.
53. ^ "Six at SGP for MU20s". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
54. ^ "Lee Carsley has made his pick for Young Lions' four games in June as they target MU21 EURO qualification". EnglandFootball.com. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
55. ^ "Match report: Kosovo 0–5 England MU21s". EnglandFootball.com. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
56. ^ "England MU21s squad named for EURO Finals". EnglandFootball.com. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
57. ^ a b Howell, Alex (8 July 2023). "England U21 1–0 Spain U21: England win Under-21 Euros for first time in 39 years". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
58. ^ a b Athletic, The (8 July 2023). "England vs Spain live updates". The Athletic. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
59. ^ "Trafford has 'top mentality' to succeed – Carsley". BBC Sport. 8 July 2023.
60. ^ Walker, Andy (24 March 2024). "England squad update: Rico Lewis and James Trafford join seniors". England Football. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
61. ^ "England's Walker & Maguire ruled out of Belgium game". BBC Sport. 24 March 2024.
62. ^ "England Euro 2024 squad: Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson left out of Gareth Southgate's provisional squad". BBC Sport. 21 May 2024.
63. ^ "Eze & Wharton named in England squad for Euro 2024". BBC Sport. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
64. ^ Froston, Nancy. "Rapid reflexes and pin-point distribution can take Bolton's City loanee Trafford to the top". The Athletic.
65. ^ "'I couldn't love Bolton any more!' - James Trafford looks back at loan days". The Bolton News. 7 June 2025.
66. ^ "Games played by James Trafford in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
67. ^ a b c "Games played by James Trafford in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
68. ^ a b "Games played by James Trafford in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
69. ^ "Games played by James Trafford in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
70. ^ "Games played by James Trafford in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
71. ^ Howell, Alex (8 July 2023). "England beat Spain to win Euro U21 Championship". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
72. ^ "2023 Under-21 EURO Team of the Tournament". UEFA. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
73. ^ Ashton, Ben (27 April 2025). "Burnley's Parker and Blades' Hamer win EFL awards". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
74. ^ Cite error: The named reference `EFLGoldenGlove` was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Trafford.

* Profile at the Manchester City F.C. website
* James Trafford – UEFA competition record (archive)

* v
* t
* e

Manchester City F.C. - current squad

* 1 Trafford
* 3 Dias
* 4 Reijnders
* 5 Stones
* 6 Aké
* 7 Marmoush
* 8 Kovačić
* 9 Haaland
* 10 Cherki
* 11 Doku
* 13 Bettinelli
* 14 González
* 16 Rodri
* 18 Ortega
* 19 Gündoğan
* 20 Silva (c)
* 21 Aït-Nouri
* 24 Gvardiol
* 25 Akanji
* 26 Savinho
* 27 Nunes
* 30 Echeverri
* 31 Ederson
* 33 O'Reilly
* 44 Phillips
* 45 Khusanov
* 47 Foden
* 52 Bobb
* 82 Lewis
* 87 McAtee
* 97 Wilson-Esbrand
* Nypan
* Manager: Guardiola

Awards

* v
* t
* e

2022–23 EFL League One PFA Team of the Year

* GK: Trafford
* DF: Andersen
* DF: Santos
* DF: Mumba
* DF: Davis
* MF: Connell
* MF: Morsy
* MF: Bannan
* FW: McGoldrick
* FW: Clarke-Harris
* FW: Chaplin

* v
* t
* e

2024–25 EFL Championship Team of the Season

* GK: Trafford
* DF: Bogle
* DF: Egan-Riley
* DF: Estève
* DF: Burrows
* MF: Tanaka
* MF: Bellingham
* MF: Hamer
* FW: James
* FW: Sargent
* FW: Sainz
* Manager: Parker

*[Apps]: League appearances
*[Gls]: League goals
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template