Daniel Sturridge

At 34 years old, Daniel Sturridge has this physical status:

Daniel Andre Sturridge (born 1 September 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Turkish Süper Lig club Trabzonspor.

He has played in the Premier League for Manchester City, Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion, and at senior international level for the England national team.

Sturridge spent four years in the Aston Villa academy before moving to Coventry City.

He then signed for Manchester City in 2003.

He continued his development at City and played in two FA Youth Cup finals.

He made his first-team debut in the 2007–08 season, becoming the only player ever to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cup and Premier League in the same season.

He left City in 2009 and signed Chelsea, where he was loaned out to Bolton Wanderers for the second half of the 2010–11 season.

After a successful spell at Bolton, scoring eight goals in 12 appearances, he returned to Chelsea for the 2011–12 season. He left Chelsea to join Liverpool in January 2013, where he formed an attacking partnership with Luis Suárez dubbed SAS, with Liverpool scoring more than 100 league goals in the 2013–14 season with Sturridge scoring 21 – the pair of them having a 1–2 in the goal scoring stats of the league.

The following two seasons were curtailed by a myriad of injuries, limiting Sturridge to very few appearances.

During those years, he scored the opening goal in the 2016 Europa League final, although Liverpool eventually lost the game to Sevilla.

He featured most often as a substitute in the next seasons under manager Jürgen Klopp, but was part of the UEFA Champions League-winning squad in 2019. Sturridge has represented England at all levels.

He made 15 appearances and scored four goals for the under-21 team.

He made his debut for England against Sweden on 15 November 2011 and was selected for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016.

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Club career

Sturridge, a boy from Birmingham, West Midlands, began his playing career at Cadbury Athletic, an age six footballer, before being spotted by the youth academy of Aston Villa at the age of seven. He left Villa four years later to relocate to Coventry City, where he appeared at the Manchester City Academy in 2003, aged 13. Manchester City was ordered by a Football League committee to pay Coventry £30,000 in damages, with further payments up to a maximum of £200,000 based on appearances and international recognition. He was the leading scorer and voted player of the tournament in the United States for the first time in the world's largest under-15 tournament. He appeared for Manchester Youth in the 2006 FA Youth Cup for the 16th time. He scored four goals en route to the final and two more in the final, but they were ineffective to prevent a 3–2 aggregate loss to Liverpool. He began his first professional relationship in the summer, which went into place as he approached his 17th birthday.

Sturridge began to train with the City's first team from the start of the 2006–07 season. For the senior team's match against Reading in February 2007, a hat-trick in a reserve match was given a spot on the replacements' bench. Georgios Samaras was recalled from the bench for the final quarter hour, making his debut from the bench. He made his second substitute appearance a month later, but he was sidelined for the remainder of 2007.

On January 27, 2008, Sturridge scored his first goal for City against Sheffield United in an FA Cup match, followed by his first league goal against Derby County on his full debut. However, first-team opportunities were very limited, so Sturridge's participation in the FA Youth Cup continued to be sporadic. City has reached the final once more, with Sturridge as the top scorer in the competition. This time, City won the final, with Sturridge scoring in the first leg. Sturridge was the only player to score in both the Youth FA Cup, the FA Cup, and the Premier League in the same season in the 2007–08 season.

Sturridge made 26 appearances and scoring 4 goals during the 2008–09 season. City was trailing 2–0 on 28 December 28, 2008, in a league match against Blackburn Rovers. Sturridge scored in the 88th minute of the match, despite being a 71st-minute replacement. André Ooijer's header made the game a winner. Robinho's injury time goal was also helped by him. Sturridge, according to manager Mark Hughes, was a player with a lot of promise and had a positive effect on the game. He also praised his assistance, saying, "he picked out Robinho for the equalizer in a market where we had been looking for him." He was named as the team's Young Player of the Year at the end of the season.

On July 3, 2009, Chelsea FC's Sturridge's deal came to an end, he signed for Chelsea on a four-year deal. The fee for Sturridge was determined by a tribunal when the club was under the age of 24, and the two clubs were unable to reach an agreement. Chelsea will pay the Professional Football Compensation Committee an initial fee of £3.5 million on January 14, 2010 -- with additional payments of £500,000 after each of 10, 20, 30, and 40 appearances. If Sturridge made a full international appearance, he would pay you £1 million, and Manchester City in exchange will receive 15 percent of any sell-on fee if Sturridge were traded.

On August 18, 2009, Chelsea made his Premier League debut against Sunderland, replacing Didier Drogba. In a reserve match against Ipswich Town on September 16, Sturridge scored a hat-trick. In a League Cup win over Bolton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on October 28, he made his first appearance for the club.

On December 20, Sturridge came as a replacement against West Ham United and beat Chelsea a controversial penalty that Lampard converted. On Boxing Day, he made his first appearance in Chelsea against Birmingham City and scored his first two goals for Chelsea against Watford in the FA Cup third round. In a 2–0 victory over Preston North End in the FA Cup, Sturridge continued to display his versatility with a genuine poacher's effort, scoring his third goal for Chelsea in January. Chelsea defeated Cardiff City 4–1. He netted again against Cardiff City on February 13th as Chelsea defeated Cardiff City 4–1. In a 7–0 victory over Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on April 25, Sturridge scored his first League goal for Chelsea by latching onto a through ball before rounding goalkeeper Asmir Begovie and slotting the ball home. He appeared as a 90th-minute replacement for Chelsea as they defeated Portsmouth 1–0. With four goals, Sturridge was the leading scorer for Chelsea in the 2009–10 FA Cup season.

Sturridge made his complete UEFA Champions League debut against Slovakian team MK ilina on September 15, 2010. In a 4–1 away victory, he scored on his debut, his first Champions League appearance. Sturridge came on as a replacement for striker Didier Drogba in the Premier League, despite losing 1–0 to his former club Manchester City. He scored his second goal in the Champions League against ilina, which Chelsea defeated 2–1 at home. He scored two right-footed goals against Ipswich Town later this season.

On January 31, 2011, Sturridge decided to join Bolton Wanderers on a loan contract until the season's end. He made his debut two days later, playing as a replacement at Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring his first goal in the process and an injury time champion. In the loss to Tottenham Hotspur the following weekend, he scored his third goal in three matches before scoring his third goal in two matches. In his fourth game against Newcastle United, Sturridge equalized, becoming the sixth player to score in his first four matches for a club in the Premier League. Sturridge continued to impress Bolton and finished his loan spell with eight goals in 12 appearances at the club. In the final match of the season against former club Manchester City, Sturridge had never been booked in his career.

Sturridge was suspended for the first three competitive matches for Chelsea during the 2011–2012 season after receiving a red card in his last match for Bolton. Despite rumors linking him with a move away on deadline day, Sturridge stayed in West London despite strong support from his manager André Villas-Boas, who said, "He may have been playing if he wasn't suspended from last season." Chelsea beat Sunderland 2–1 in his first match back from suspension. Sturridge got off and scored with a back-heel in the 50th minute, putting Chelsea up 2–0 in a 2-0 win. On October 2nd, Sturridge scored twice within the first 30 minutes, the first a header after 90 seconds from a corner, and the second a long shot from outside the box that goalkeeper dán erred in saving. In the 15th minute of the game, which ultimately ended 5–1, Sturridge also contributed to Frank Lampard's goal. Sturrdge scored in a 3–1 victory over Everton on October 15, giving him four league goals in four matches. He then played as a substitute in Chelsea's League Cup match against Everton on the 90th minute, in which Chelsea defeated Everton 2–1 in extra time to place them in the last eight.

In a 3–0 victory over Chelsea over Newcastle, Sturridge scored his seventh goal in the Premier League season. Sturridge was assisting with a Raul Meireles goal in the 34th minute during the match against Sturridge's former club Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on December 13th. The match ended in a 2–1 victory when Frank Lampard scored a late penalty after Joleon Lescott handled Sturridge's shot in the penalty area. In the 59th minute, Sturridge scored in the away 1–1 draw against Wigan Athletic; he dominated Ashley Cole's diagonal long ball with his left foot and then scored with his right hand to put Chelsea up. He scored his ninth goal in Chelsea's away match against Tottenham in the 2011-12 domestic season on December 22, the equalizer in a 1–1 draw away at White Hart Lane. In a 4–2 victory over Aston Villa, Sturridge scored his team's first goal. He scored the opener in spectacular style after 45 seconds on his 11th Premier League goal of the season against Queens Park Rangers on April 29. Chelsea defeated them 6–1 winners to keep Champions League qualifying alive. Chelsea's 2012 UEFA Champions League Finalist was a unused substitute.

As he was on duty with Great Britain in the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sturridge missed all of Chelsea's pre-season games beginning in the 2012-13 season. He did play against Manchester City in the 2012 FA Community Shield, assisting Ryan Bertrand's goal and Costel Pantilimon spilling it. Sturridge's first-league match against Juventus and Nordsjlland and their first League Cup match against Wolverhampton was postponed from 2012-2013. Due to a hamstring strain, he missed the Premier League match against Stoke City. In the 4–2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, he scored his last Premier League goal for the club, after coming on as a late replacement and scoring from Juan Mata's cross in stoppage time to win. Chelsea's last game was against Manchester United in the League Cup, with the team winning 5–4 by extra time. Sturridge was never to return to the club after Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo was fired as boss and replaced by Rafael Bentez.

Sturridge completed a transfer from Chelsea to Liverpool on January 2nd, 2013, settling on a long-term deal for an undisclosed fee that was estimated to be in the region of £12 million. On January 6th, he made his FA Cup third round debut against Mansfield Town, scoring his first Liverpool goal in a game in which Liverpool defeated 2–1. In a 2–1 loss to rivals and league leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 13, he scored on his debut in league play the following weekend, scoring in a 2–1 loss at rivals and league leaders Manchester United. In his first league appearance and home debut for the club, Sturridge scored his third goal against Norwich City on 19 January, beating them 5–0 at Anfield. With the goal, he had scored three goals in his first three appearances for the club, becoming the first Liverpool player to achieve the feat since Ray Kennedy in 1974, despite not playing a full 90 minutes for the club.

In a 2–2 draw at the City of Manchester Stadium, Sturridge scored a goal from 25 yards out against former club Manchester City on 3 February. Sturridge's form continued on February 17th, with an assist from teammate José Enrique, as well as scoring a penalty against Swansea City in a 5–0 win, despite losing the previous two matches due to a combination of ineligibility and injury. In a 2–2 draw at Anfield, he scored against former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovi, resulting in a ten-match suspension for Suárez. In a 6–0 victory over Newcastle United on Tuesday, Sturridge scored two goals and notched an assist. In a 3-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on May 12, he scored his first hat-trick in his career.

Sturridge started the 2013-14 season by scoring the first goal of the season – which also ended in Liverpool's 1–0 victory over Stoke City – with a shot from outside the box. He followed this up with a goal against Aston Villa in another 1–0 win and a brace against Notts County in the League Cup, bringing his season's total number to four goals in three matches to four. He maintained his fine form by scoring the only goal in a 1–0 victory over a close rivals and defending champions Manchester United on his 24th birthday in an A–1 victory over Sunderland, scoring and giving two assists to Luis Suárez. Because of these results, Sturridge was named the Premier League Player of the Month for the month of August. He came off the bench to score a last-minute equalizer against Everton in a thrilling Merseyside derby that ended 3-3 on Friday.

Sturridge's superb goal-scoring form continued into the new season, with Sturridge becoming the first Liverpool player to score in seven straight league matches against Fulham. After a brace against Swansea City in a 4-3 home victory, he went on to become the second player in Premier League history to score eight matches in a row. For the second time this season, he was named Player of the Month for the second time in February, scoring five goals and receiving two assists during the month.

Sturridge was selected as one of the PFA Player of the Year award's top six contenders on the shortlist on April 18th, and he was also selected for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. He was selected on the PFA Team of the Year alongside colleagues Steven Gerrard and Luis Suárez on April 27. Sturridge's 21 league goals made him the second runner-up in the season's Golden Boot, behind strike partner Suárez.

In Liverpool's first match, a 2–1 victory over Southampton, Sturridge began the 2014-15 season by scoring a late winner. Sturridge sustained a thigh injury while on international service in September 2014 and was forced out of action for up to three weeks. England manager Brendan Rodgers publicly sluggish when Sturridge's treatment of him on September 11th, saying his injury "could have been avoidable." Despite rumors, England boss Roy Hodgson denied talk of a divide between him and Rodgers over Sturridge's injury.

After suffering a calf strain injury in preparation on October 17, Sturridge was ruled out for another three weeks. With a new thigh injury that required him to miss the next six weeks, he missed out on training on November 18th.

Sturridge returned to the team on January 31 in a 2–0 victory over West Ham as a 68th-minute replacement for Lazar Markovia, scoring in the 87th minute after a through ball from Philippe Coutinho. Sturridge scored his second goal in a 2–0 victory over Burnley on March 4th.

Despite scoring Liverpool's lone goal, Sturridge's injury-plagued season began when he sustained a hip injury in a 2–1 loss to Manchester United on March 22nd. He underwent a fruitful hip surgery in the United States on May 5th, but ruled him out until September, essentially postponing the start of the new season.

Sturridge made his first appearance of the season against Norwich City on September 20th, after missing the first five matches of Liverpool's Premier League season due to injury. In a 3–2 victory over Aston Villa on September 26, he scored his first two goals of the season. Sturridge sustained a knee injury in training on October 15th, putting him out for another four weeks.

In a 6–1 away win over Southampton in the quarter-finals of the League Cup on December 2, he scored a brace. In a 2–0 loss to Newcastle United that had him out for two months, he sustained another hamstring injury, which had him out for two months. He returned to the team on February 14, 2016, scoring in a 6–0 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park in a 6–0 victory. He started in the 2016 League Cup Final loss to Manchester City, playing the full 120 minutes as Liverpool were defeated in a penalty shoot-out 14 days later.

In a 2–0 victory over rivals Manchester United at Anfield on 10 March 16, he scored his first Europa League goal for Liverpool. In a 4–0 victory over Liverpool in all competitions on April 20, he scored his 50th goal in the Merseyside derby; he is the fourth fastest Liverpool player to reach that landmark in 87 appearances.

In Liverpool's 3–0 victory over Villarreal in the Europa League semi-finals, Sturridge scored his 12th goal of the season on May 5th to qualify the team for the 2016 UEFA Europa League Finals. Sturridge scored the first goal of the Europa League Final on May 19th, a 3–1 loss to Sevilla in Basel. Sturridge was Liverpool's top scorer with 13 goals in the season.

During the second half of league matches, Sturridge began the season as an understudie to Roberto Firmino, and he generally came off the bench. In the 5–0 win over Liverpool, Sturridge started the game against Burton Albion in the EFL Cup on August 23nd, scoring a brace. Sturridge played in the fourth round of the EFL Cup against Tottenham on October 25th, scoring a brace. Liverpool beat Liverpool at Anfield 2–1. On December 27, he scored his first league goal of the season, against Stoke in a second-half substitution. Liverpool's fourth goal and 86th for the year, as a result, the club tied for the most goals scored in a calendar year.

In a 4–0 victory over Arsenal on August 27, 2017, Sturridge scored as a replacement just three minutes after coming on. In a 3–0 victory over Huddersfield Town on October 28, he scored the first goal in the game. In a 3–0 victory over Maribor in the UEFA Champions League on Monday, he scored in a 3–0 victory.

Sturridge joined West Bromwich Albion on loan for the remainder of the 2017-18 season on January 29, 2018. Sturridge sustained a hamstring injury after three minutes of playing in a 3–0 away loss to Chelsea on Tuesday, his third appearance for West Brom since being on loan.

In a 4–0 victory over West Ham United, Sturridge scored with his first touch in Liverpool's colours on August 12th. In the first match of the UEFA Champions League, he scored the first goal of a 3–2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on September 18. He scored the first goal against his former club Chelsea in the EFL Cup third round on September 26, but Liverpool lost the match 1–2. Sturridge scored the equalizing goal – his 50th league goal of his career – in the 89th minute to earn a 1–1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, which was later designated as Premier League Goal of the Month for September.

Despite not participating in the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final against Tottenham Hotspur on June 1, 2019, Sturridge earned his second Champions League gold and became the first Englishman to win the competition with two separate English clubs. Alberto Moreno and his dad were released by Liverpool three days later.

After instructing his brother to bet on a prospective move to Sevilla, Sturridge was barred from football for six weeks, four of whom were suspended for breaching betting laws.

On August 21, 2019, Sturridge signed for Turkish Süper Lig club Trabzonspor on a three-year deal. Sturridge was released from the club on March 2nd, 2020, after his deal was mutually terminated; he had scored seven goals in sixteen games. He was banned from playing betting for four months worldwide on the same day (see previous section), but an appeal board fined him £150,000.

Perth Glory, an Australian side, announced the signing of Sturridge for the A-League 2021-2022 season on October 1, 2021. Perth chairman and owner Tony Sage described the transaction as one of the best in A-League history, although Sturridge claimed he had not joined the club for "a holiday." He only started training with his new team in mid-November due to fitness issues, and said he could not give a timeframe on how long it would take to return to full fitness.

Sturridge made his Perth Glory debut against Adelaide United on November 20th. Sturridge's first appearance at Perth Oval brought a near-capacity crowd of 17,198 people. Sturridge sustained a groin injury while playing as a substitute in a 1–0 loss to Macarthur on February 23rd, and was forced to leave after 18 minutes of game time. Tony Pignata, Perth's chief executive, admitted that the step was "disappointing" and that it hadn't succeeded. On June 3, it was revealed that Ruben Zadkovich, the new king of Israel, had been released after playing just one game and scoring 0 goals in six appearances.

International career

Sturridge has represented England at U16, U18, U19, U20, U20, and U21 levels; he also qualified to represent Jamaica through his father. In 2007, he scored twice against the Netherlands for the under-18 team, scoring again against the Netherlands in the Under-19 European Championships against the Netherlands. In England's 1–1 draw against Greece U-21, he scored his only goal for the team and scored his second U-21 goal, marking his second goal in the 1–0 victory over Portugal.

He was selected in the England under-21 squad for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. In the group stages, England was disqualified. Sturridge was selected to the tournament's team.

After excelling for Chelsea, Sturridge was given his first England call-up by being named in the England squad for the friendlies against Spain and Sweden on Friday. In a 1–0 win over Spain, Fabio Capello said that Sturridge would play against Sweden the next Tuesday, as he made his debut as a second-half replacement for Theo Walcott. He made his second appearance against the Netherlands on Saturday in the first half, causing the Dutch defense system to fail throughout the game and received the man of the match award for his efforts during the match.

After going home for Wayne Rooney in an 8–0 away victory over San Marino in World Cup qualification, he scored his first senior goal for England in his fifth match on March 22, 2013. He had appeared and scored for all levels of international football for England, from U16 to seniors, as well as scoring for the Great Britain Olympic team. He scored another goal in England's qualification campaign on October 11th, a 30-time penalty, in a 4–1 victory over Montenegro after he had been fouled by Ivan Kecojevi' on October 11th. In the first match of England's March friendly against Denmark, he scored again. 0–0 had been in the home stretch until the eighty-second minute, when Sturridge stepped forward to head an Adam Lallana cross into the net for a late winner.

Sturridge was selected in Stuart Pearce's 18-man squad for the Great Britain Olympic football team to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics on July 2, 2012. However, the Sturridge team was also diagnosed with contaminated meningitis on July 3rd, and it was likely to be unable to participate in the GB 2012 team. However, he made a complete recovery, meaning he played, and he scored his first goal for Great Britain in the second group match, a 3–1 win over the UAE. Sturridge scored the only goal as England defeated Uruguay to finish top of their group and progress to the quarterfinals. Sturridge missed the fifth penalty for Great Britain in the quarter-final match against South Korea. South Korea then scored their own, defeating Team GB.

Sturridge was named in England's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in May 2014 and given the number 9 shirt. In a 3–0 friendly win over Peru at Wembley Stadium on May 30th, he scored the team's first goal.

In a 2–1 loss to Italy in Manaus on June 14th, Sturridge started England's first match of the tournament and scored the team's goal.

Despite injury keeping him out of the majority of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualification process, Sturridge was named in England's squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 finals. Sturridge played as a half-time replacement against Wales in the team's second group match, helping Jamie Vardy's equalizer and score the winning goal as the team recovered from a 1–0 deficit.

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