James Trafford
James Harrington Trafford is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Manchester City.
Early life
Trafford was born in Cockermouth, Cumbria, and grew up in the nearby village of Greysouthen in a farming family. He was a Chelsea fan. He attended Cockermouth School and St Bede's College. He learned to drive on a tractor and in his early career he would return to help out on the family farm in the off-season.Club career
Manchester City
Trafford began his career with Cockermouth and Carlisle United, signing with Manchester City in August 2015 at the age of 12. At Carlisle he began as a midfielder but volunteered to become a goalkeeper at age nine. 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.He moved on loan to Accrington Stanley in July 2021. This loan was later described as "challenging" due to injuries and losing his first-team place.
Bolton Wanderers
Trafford signed on loan for Bolton Wanderers on 13 January 2022, until the end of the 2021–22 season. He kept four clean sheets in his first four games, the first time a goalkeeper had done so in Bolton's entire history.On 15 June 2022, Trafford rejoined Bolton on loan for a further season. In July 2022, he signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City. By October he was noted for his clean sheets, 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. He was able to extend the record to nine, 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. On 2 April, he started in the 2023 EFL Trophy final and kept a clean sheet in 4–0 win against Plymouth Argyle. 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. He finished the season with a total of 26 clean sheets. He helped Bolton qualify for the play-offs, though they were defeated by Barnsley in the semi-finals. He was voted as Bolton's Young Player of the Year for the 2022–23 season, together with Conor Bradley. His performances during the season saw him named in the PFA Team of the Year for League One. He said his time at Bolton turned him from a "long, skinny boy" into a "long, skinny man".
Burnley
On 3 July 2023, it was announced that a £15 million transfer fee had been agreed between Manchester City and Burnley for Trafford. With add-ons, the deal could reach a total of £19 million — which if met would break Burnley's transfer record. On 20 July 2023, Trafford's move to Burnley was officially completed. Due to their sell-on clause, Carlisle United got 15% of the fee for around £2.25m. He became the third most expensive British goalkeeper in history.He made his Burnley and Premier League debut on 11 August 2023, in a 3–0 home defeat to his former club Manchester City. 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.
In January 2025, he saved two penalties in a league match against Sunderland, being praised by manager Scott Parker as a "special" player. Having not conceded a goal across any of their six matches in the month, he was named EFL Championship Player of the Month. By February 2025, Trafford had gone 1,000 minutes without conceding a goal. 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. During this run, Trafford got 12 clean sheets in a row — breaking the record for the most consecutive clean sheets in Championship history. After 33 games, Trafford/Burnley had conceded only 9 goals — the lowest in the history of English Football at that point of the season. Trafford finished the season with 29 clean sheets, which equalled the record for a goalkeeper in a single season in English football. 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, although this was 1 more than Chelsea's 15 conceded in 38 games in the 2004–05 Premier League.
Return to Manchester City
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. Trafford's official fee was £31 million, although City received £4 million back due to their sell-on clause, and so only paid £27 million. On 16 August, he made his debut for City in their first Premier League game of the season, keeping a clean sheet in a 4–0 away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. In his home debut for City on 23 August, he made an error that led to Tottenham Hotspur's second goal in a 2–0 defeat. After the game, Guardiola said he still backed Trafford. Trafford was presented with the August Save of the Month award for saving a close-range shot by Jan Paul van Hecke as City lost 2–1 to Brighton & Hove Albion on 31 August.After playing in the club's first few matches, he was dropped in favour of transfer deadline day signing Gianluigi Donnarumma. Thereafter Trafford appeared only in Cup games, with former Man City goalkeeper Nicky Weaver saying he "felt sorry" for Trafford.
International career
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. 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.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.
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. Trafford made his debut in the 5–0 win away to Kosovo.
On 14 June 2023, Trafford was included in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He did not concede a goal during the tournament in six matches, the first time a goalkeeper had done this in the tournament's history, and saved a stoppage-time penalty and its rebound in the final against Spain as England won the game 1–0. His mentality was praised by England under-21 manager Lee Carsley. It was later reported that Trafford had told friends that he would save a penalty that game.
Following an injury to Sam Johnstone in March 2024, Trafford received his first call up to the senior squad for a friendly against Belgium. He was selected to England's provisional 33-member squad for Euro 2024. On 6 June 2024, he was dropped from the final 26-man squad. In October 2025, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said that Trafford would become an England goalkeeper in due course.
Style of play
He spent his early career as an outfield player. At Carlisle he began as a midfielder but volunteered to become a goalkeeper at age 9. He has been praised for his reflexes and distribution. He is noted for his ability to get clean sheets, breaking multiple records with Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, and winning the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship without conceding a goal.Personal life
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.Career statistics
Honours
Manchester City Under-18s- Professional U18 Development League: 2019–20
- Professional U23 Development League: 2020–21
- EFL Trophy: 2022–23
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2023
- Bolton Wanderers Young Player of the Year: 2022–23
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2023
- PFA Team of the Year: 2022–23 League One, 2024–25 Championship
- EFL Championship Player of the Month: January 2025
- EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2024–25
- EFL Championship Golden Glove: 2024–25
- PFA Championship Player of the Year: 2024–25