![]() | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Daniel George Ballard [1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 22 September 1999||
Place of birth | Stevenage, England | ||
Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) [2] | ||
Position(s) | Centre-back [3] | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Sunderland | ||
Number | 5 | ||
Youth career | |||
–2019 | Arsenal | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019–2022 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
2019 | → Swindon Town (loan) | 1 | (0) |
2020–2021 | → Blackpool (loan) | 25 | (2) |
2021–2022 | → Millwall (loan) | 31 | (1) |
2022– | Sunderland | 61 | (3) |
International career‡ | |||
Northern Ireland U18 | |||
2018– | Northern Ireland U21 | 4 | (1) |
2020– | Northern Ireland | 18 | (3) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:44, 5 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:45, 17 November 2023 (UTC) |
Daniel George Ballard (born 22 September 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre back for EFL Championship side Sunderland. Born in England, he represents Northern Ireland at international level.
Born in Stevenage, [4] Ballard joined the Arsenal Academy at the age of eight. He signed his first professional contract in June 2018. [5]
Ballard moved on loan from Arsenal to Swindon Town in July 2019. [6] He made his debut in a 2–0 win against Scunthorpe United in the League Two on 3 August 2019, coming off the bench in the 88th minute. [7] [8] He then scored his first career goal in an EFL Trophy tie against Chelsea U21s on 6 August 2019. [9] But his loan spell was cut short after just three appearances due to a severe knee injury that required 5 months of recovery time. [10]
In October 2020, he moved on loan to Blackpool, signing with the club until January 2021. [11] [12] Ballard made his debut in a 1–0 loss against Charlton in League One on 20 October. [13] On 5 January 2021, it was announced that the loan had been extended to the end of the season. [14] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against Crewe Alexandra on 2 March 2021. [15]
He moved on loan to Millwall on 1 July 2021. [16] He scored his first goal for the club when he scored against West Bromwich Albion on 11 September 2021 in a 1–1 draw. [17]
On 30 June 2022, Ballard joined newly promoted Championship club Sunderland for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract. [18] [19] On 16 September 2023, Ballard scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 3–1 win against QPR. [20]
He signed a new deal in July 2024 to extend his time on Wearside until 2028. [21]
Born in England, Ballard qualifies to represent Northern Ireland as his mother was born there. [4]
He has represented Northern Ireland at Under-18 and Under-21 levels. [4] [22] He was called up to the senior team for the first time in March 2019. [4] [23] He made his senior debut in a 1–1 draw against Romania in a Nations League game in September 2020. [24] [25]
In September 2023, Ballard was injured and ruled out of Euros qualifying matches. [26]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Arsenal | 2019–20 [27] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2020–21 [28] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2021–22 [29] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Swindon Town (loan) | 2019–20 [27] | League Two | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 [lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Blackpool (loan) | 2020–21 [28] | League One | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 [lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 30 | 2 |
Millwall (loan) | 2021–22 [29] | Championship | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 33 | 1 | |
Sunderland | 2022–23 [30] | Championship | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
2023–24 [20] | Championship | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 43 | 3 | ||
Total | 61 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 3 | ||
Career total | 118 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 131 | 7 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Northern Ireland | 2020 | 5 | 0 |
2021 | 7 | 1 | |
2022 | 4 | 1 | |
2023 | 5 | 0 | |
2024 | 3 | 1 | |
Total | 24 | 3 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Cap | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 September 2021 | LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania | ![]() | 9 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
2 | 9 June 2022 | Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo | ![]() | 15 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |
3 | 8 June 2024 | Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, Palma de Mallorca, Spain | ![]() | 23 | 1–0 | 1–5 | Friendly |
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