On the wall on Everton's Finch Farm Training Ground there is a new photo, placed to commemorate one of the most famous moments in the history of Goodison Park.
The subject laughs and claims not to be so impressed.
“Of all the photos and corners they could have chosen, the one they have put that I don't like,” says James Tarkowski.
“My eyes are closed, my tongue is out. You can't even see where the ball is going. It can actually just be an approval for everything I know. '
It was not an approval on that night of 12 February 2025. It was a goal scored by Tarkowski in the end of Gwladys Street in the eighth minute of added time to earn a 2-2 draw against Liverpool against Liverpool in the last derby played in Goodison.
A right foot volley collapsed in the roof of the net by a 32-year-old central defender with all the balance of a no. 9 and with the kind of pure certainty that rattles fillings. Whatever happens to him during the rest of his career, Tarkowski has his place in Everton Folklore.
“Football is not a hobby, it's a job,” Tarkowski tells Mail Sport. 'The pressure and intensity of it means that it is not always as pleasant as it sounds. I mean, I really like it, but that's the truth.
'So if you get such moments, it makes the hard work – days of losing competitions, driving away from Goodison that is defeated – all very worthwhile.
'It is now a month ago, but it is still all that everyone really wants to talk about. I have always wanted to participate in a last-minute goal, but never thought I would be in such a situation. It was unforgettable.
'I am generally not too excited, but it all came out that night. I went home and tried to eliminate and think about something else. But I didn't. I have just looked at it on my phone. '
Everton's draw that night was part of a broader recovery among recurring manager David Moyes. Indeed, when Moyes brings his team to Anfield on the other side of the international break, Tarkowski should make his 500th career and 300th Premier League appearance in a team that is now looking up.
“David came in and told us that he was not there for a relegation struggle and we had to drive our ideas and get on the board quickly,” Tarkowski recalls.
“He was very satisfied with the defensive structure and wanted to add some goals to what he did. We now chase teams instead of looking below and that feels good. '
Tarkowski is at a point of 103 consecutive league games for Everton. It is a club record for a player who ran away from Blackburn and rebuilt his career at the Non-League Maine Road in his native Manchester.
“Maybe my journey just took another way to what I expected,” he says.
'I enjoyed going there. I played with men. I was not yet about thinker. I just went week to week. From there I went to Oldham. Another step.
'I have learned many lessons in both places. I was allowed to make mistakes and get better. If I had been an academy player, I don't think I would be the same player or person.
'I learned some lessons about daily life. People played to put food on the table. I remember that I played the first team at the age of 17 in Oldham and suddenly realized what it was all about. Real life. '
Tarkowski talks in a small room in the Everton in the community facility on the other side of Goodison Park. Real life is also everywhere on this occasion. He has just spent an hour, cooking, playing and talking with youth-bombard economically disadvantaged and some with educational needs from the Liverpool areas of Knowsley, South Sefton and Speke-Garston.
Tarkowski eitc ambassador-is here to mark the next phase of a long-term partnership between Everton's Community Arm and the Steve Morgan Foundation.
Since 2019, the SMF has invested £ 7 million in EITC and the further £ 2.3 million announced on Wednesday will help another 13,000 young people to develop skills and make informed life choices.
“It's great,” says Tarkowski. “I don't come from a super rich background. It was a bit rough, but nothing like some things that these children experience.
'I only see the smiling on the faces of the children. I enjoy it and am proud to be part of it. I have two children myself and grew up a lot. I have realized the impact that we can have and I enjoy being here and getting the best out of this hour.
'I am lucky that I can come and enjoy it. You have to release yourself a bit as a football player. If you are on your way, you will get many questions.
'Since I have been to Everton, we have had a number of difficult times and sometimes you just want to get rid of yourself. But to meet these children and to have a conversation and to be near them, is great. It doesn't have to be deep and useful. You just have to enjoy it.
'I met Shaun Wright-Phillips when I was in high school. I was enchanted by just being in the same room. I come from a working -class background. My father was an electrician. My mother worked at the Manchester city council.
'So this club suits me when I see what it means. If we achieve the victories and the clear days, they seem extra special here. '
Tarkowski was close to the predecessor of Moyes Sean Dyche when he also played for him in Burnley. He says he felt some guilt when Dyche left in January.
“I had played every game, so I was part of a team that had done performances that led someone to lose his job,” he says.
'Maybe because I had such a strong relationship with him, I feel it a bit more. But the downside is that I realize that there is still a task to do. You can't think about things. '
It was not all downfall and gloom under Dyche. After Tarkowski and his wife Samantha appeared on the married of the game program and spoke volatile about their sex life, Dyche made the best of it.
“It wasn't ideal,” Tarkowski laughs. 'I like a joke and I like to mess around and wrap people up, so if you are going to be like that, you have to take it the other way around.
'Seamus Coleman was in for the first time the next day. And then Sean. It was set up in one his team meetings. If anyone hadn't seen it, it was for everyone to see at the time.
“But it was a bit fun. Like the women of many football players, Samantha lives a bit in my shade. She was not desperate to fame, but she wanted the chance to show her side.
'The clip does not show that, it just shows me that I am a bit crazy. If you look at the full thing, it's about her and her journey and what she wants for her future and a bit about us.
“She became emotional in the show. She is a very deep thinker, but is also super supportive for me and my work, while at the same time she is not too busy about it.
'If I ran away from football – what I am not going to do – she would be just as happy.
'We now have a small daughter and she wants to guide her and help her learn from mistakes she made herself when she was younger.
“She wants to be more than my wife. She wants to be her own person who leads her own life. That was also part of the show. '
Tarkowski has only left for his Everton contract – he is open to conversations – but it seems that Samantha has already announced her opinion on options such as Saudi Arabia.
“I was already told that I can't go,” he laughs. 'But there is nothing better than playing in the Premier League. Why would you really want to go somewhere else? '
With two England caps won in 2018, Tarkowski has no longer given up. “I just look at myself and think I can bring something different than the English team,” he nods.
Regarding the short term, he plans to enjoy the last days of Goodison-Te start with the visit of Saturday from West Ham-free of the shadow of relegation.
In more than one way – some spectacular and some not – he has done all his bit.
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