Former Liverpool star Daniel Sturridge has promised to leave his ego at the door when he arrives at Perth Glory, declaring he isn’t coming to Australia for a mere holiday.
Sturridge’s one-season deal with Glory represents one of the biggest coups in the history of the A-League Men’s competition.
The 32-year-old former England international is a two-time UEFA Champions League and FA Cup winner who scored 67 goals during a six-year spell at Liverpool and also won a Premier League title with Chelsea.
Sturridge will be the star attraction in every game he plays for Glory.
But rather than focus on individual glory while enjoying the Australian lifestyle, Sturridge is eager to immerse himself in the club’s history and help the team achieve success.
“I’m coming there as a humble man, leaving my ego at the door,” Sturridge said.
“Of course players can make the difference, but in terms of one player carrying a team, I just don’t think in world football that’s possible, because everybody is needed.
“Everyone in the squad is important.
“I’m not there for a holiday. I’m there to play football. I’m there to perform to the best of my abilities.”
(Photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Sturridge is currently training in England with a coach, and his exact arrival date in Australia is up in the air due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The talented striker hasn’t played a competitive game for the best part of 19 months, but declared he has been training consistently during that period, which included a stint with La Liga side Real Mallorca.
“This is the longest time I’ve had not playing competitive games,” Sturridge said.
“But in terms of training, I’ve been training the whole time. I’ve not let myself go or had time off.
“I haven’t really lost any fitness. In fact I’ve lost weight. I’ve got probably more in shape outside of quarantine.”
Sturridge’s lengthy stint out of the game started in March last year when he copped a four-month worldwide ban for breaching betting rules.
With the COVID-19 reaping havoc around the world once Sturridge’s ban ended, he decided against jumping straight back into a club if it didn’t feel right.
Sturridge said he chose Perth Glory because of a gut feel – and also glowing reviews of the club from Liverpool great Robbie Fowler and former Reds goalkeeper Brad Jones.
The four-month ban crushed Sturridge, but he never lost his love of the game.
“You can never lose the love for the game in my mind,” Sturridge said.
“This is a game I’ve enjoyed and loved playing since I was in my front garden at home as a three, four-year-old kicking a ball around.
“Even when I’m old and grey I’ll probably be trying to play keepy-offs with my grandkids or whatever it might be. This beautiful game will remain with me forever, and this is what I was born to do.
“Being out for that amount of time and watching games, there was an element of me being like, ‘I want to get out there, I want to play’.
“But it was about choosing the right place and making the right decision.”
Roger Pilkington
Guest
relaxed friendly Australians?!!???Wait until he comes up against the tall poppy syndrome that is rife on this forum.PErsonally I can’t wait to see him!!!!
NoMates
Roar Rookie
Weather he is humble or not, first and foremost is goals = if he cant produce then he has to be out the door. And before i get hate hear me out, Glory deserve some good fortune to come there way. They get little credit and media over in the eastern states yet produce some of the best football in the A-league and a new signing like this highlights there ambition to bring in some Silverware. So therefore they cant afford to be dragging the chain with this signing like Newcastle Jets did with Heskey. Play a player for for the sake of the name and not results.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
With the vulgarity of the Saudi purchase of Newcastle (EPL), Sturridge's move to Hlory has the potential to do several, rather significant things; 1. Based on the comments made by Sturridge, the move could cleasnse him mentally. A brand new environment, far removed from the pressures of Europe, relaxed friendly Australians ariund him, there's a real chance thst he could be a completely refreshed footballer. 2. If he is a success, this will pump up the crowds. I reckon crowds will be up for City, Victory, Jets, Western, Wanderers and the horde of Smurfs will still be strong, as will Adelaide, especially with Isais back. Throw in Perthand youve got a league heading in the right direction. 3. Not since the trio of Del Piero, Ono and Heskey have the media taken real notice. Should Sturridge play with the class that he's capable of, he might just givethe media something to think about. Altough this might be wishful thinking. Knowing we have a World Cup in the bag, the realisation is sinking into the suburb v suburb backyard codes
Towser
Guest
Brainstrust Whilst gambling in Australia is a way of life for many, betting is ingrained into the British working class psyche. When I was a lad growing up in Sheffield Bookies runners seemed to be on each street corner or on every factory floor. Place a bet with the runner and off it went to the bookies. No surprise when gambling was legalised in 1961 that the underground bookies suddenly had enough money to run legal “Turf Accountant” shops, some chains of shops and move to posh houses on the outskirts of the city. That demand continues today, just check the amount of Online betting outlets advertised on UK tv. So whilst I agree that betting companies are out of control, they just reflect demand and therefore how much revenue a government collects from gambling(and how much of a blind eye they turn) as per this quote in 2017-18. “Did you know the UK government makes a virtual killing from gambling? In the 2017-18 fiscal year alone, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs raked in £2.9-billion in gaming-related duty. Although that figure includes lotteries, betting, and live as well as remote gaming, that’s an astronomical amount. A great deal of that revenue comes from the 15% tax levy gambling operators must pay. While you don’t have to worry about paying taxes when you win or lose, the government does tax betting shops, poker rooms, casinos, and other related establishments on their profits. Even though players don’t pay these fees directly, in many ways they are built into the odds. Nonetheless, it’s nice that you can concentrate on playing your favourite games instead of dealing with complicated tax forms” From this article:- https://www.casino.co.uk/guides/gambling-and-taxation/ As for Sturridge can’t go past the comment by Roberto Bettega.
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
Daniel, you chose the right league to resurrect your football career. Australian football awaits your special talents. I'll be following every game you play in Australia. Good luck for the future.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
I hope he does well, the Glory needs to get back to attracting the sort of crowds it used to attract back in the NSL days. It's good that Fowler and Jones have good recommendations. This sort of word of mouth by professionals can help attract more players to our shores.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The betting stuff is a joke, he mentioned to one his relatives he was going to a Spanish club they put a bet on it and he gets suspended for it. In fact the move fell through. These betting companies are out of control and defended by governments and sports organisations . There should be zero betting on stuff outside of match results between professional teams in competitive matches. In Australia for some reason there is betting on matches at the lowest levels. The A-league itself is one of the worlds most bet on leagues.