Daniel George Ballard (born 22 September 1999) is a professional footballer who plays for Sunderland as a defender. Born in England, he represents Northern Ireland at international level.
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Daniel George Ballard[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1999-09-22) 22 September 1999 (age 23)[2] | ||
Place of birth | Stevenage, England | ||
Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||
Position(s) |
Centre-back Defensive midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Sunderland | ||
Number | 5 | ||
Youth career | |||
0000–2019 | 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 | 3 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
Northern Ireland U18 | |||
2018– | Northern Ireland U21 | 4 | (1) |
2020– | Northern Ireland | 15 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:41, 14 August 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:20, 10 June 2022 (UTC) |
Born in Stevenage,[3] Ballard has been at the Arsenal Academy since the age of eight. He signed his first professional contract in June 2018.[4]
Ballard moved on loan from Arsenal to Swindon Town in July 2019.[5] 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.[6][7] He then scored his first career goal in an EFL Trophy tie against Chelsea U21s on 6 August 2019.[8] But his loan spell was cut short after just three appearances due to a severe knee injury that required 5 months of recovery time.[9]
In October 2020, he moved on loan to Blackpool, signing with the club until January 2021.[10][11] Ballard made his debut in a 1–0 loss against Charlton in League One on 20 October.[12] On 5 January 2021, it was announced that the loan had been extended to the end of the season.[13] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against Crewe Alexandra on 2 March 2021.[14]
He moved on loan to Millwall on 1 July 2021.[15] He scored his first goal for the club when he scored against West Bromwich Albion on 11 September 2021 in a 1-1 draw.[16]
On 30 June 2022, Ballard joined newly promoted Championship club Sunderland for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract.[17][18]
Born in England, Ballard qualifies to represent Northern Ireland as his mother was born there.[3]
He has represented Northern Ireland at Under-18 and Under-21 levels.[3][19] He was called up to the senior team for the first time in March 2019.[3][20] He made his senior debut in a 1–1 draw against Romania in a Nations League game in September 2020.[21][22]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Arsenal | 2019–20[23] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2020–21[24] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2021–22[25] | 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[23] | League Two | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Blackpool (loan) | 2020–21[24] | League One | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 30 | 2 |
Millwall (loan) | 2021–22[25] | Championship | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
Sunderland | 2022–23 | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Career total | 60 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 69 | 4 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
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Northern Ireland | 2020 | 5 | 0 |
2021 | 7 | 1 | |
2022 | 4 | 1 | |
Total | 16 | 2 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Cap | Score | Result | Competition |
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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 |
Sunderland A.F.C. – current squad | |
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