| Daniel Ballard | |
| Fullname: | Daniel George Ballard[1] |
| Birth Date: | 22 September 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Stevenage, England |
| Height: | 1.87m |
| Position: | Centre-back |
| Currentclub: | Sunderland |
| Clubnumber: | 5 |
| Youthyears1: | 2007–2019 |
| Youthclubs1: | Arsenal |
| Years1: | 2019–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Arsenal |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2019 |
| Clubs2: | → Swindon Town (loan) |
| Caps2: | 1 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2020–2021 |
| Clubs3: | → Blackpool (loan) |
| Caps3: | 25 |
| Goals3: | 2 |
| Years4: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs4: | → Millwall (loan) |
| Caps4: | 31 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Years5: | 2022– |
| Clubs5: | Sunderland |
| Caps5: | 69 |
| Goals5: | 3 |
| Nationalteam1: | Northern Ireland U18 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2018– |
| Nationalteam2: | Northern Ireland U21 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2020– |
| Nationalteam3: | Northern Ireland |
| Nationalcaps3: | 25 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 4 |
| Club-Update: | 21:59, 29 November 2024 (UTC) |
| Ntupdate: | 23:00, 5 September 2024 (UTC) |
Daniel George Ballard (born 22 September 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre back for side Sunderland. Born in England, he represents Northern Ireland at international level.
Born in Stevenage, Ballard joined the Arsenal Academy at the age of eight. He signed his first professional contract in June 2018.[2]
Ballard moved on loan from Arsenal to Swindon Town in July 2019.[3] 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.[4] [5] He then scored his first career goal in an EFL Trophy tie against Chelsea U21s on 6 August 2019.[6] But his loan spell was cut short after just three appearances due to a severe knee injury that required 5 months of recovery time.[7]
In October 2020, he moved on loan to Blackpool, signing with the club until January 2021.[8] [9] Ballard made his debut in a 1–0 loss against Charlton in League One on 20 October.[10] On 5 January 2021, it was announced that the loan had been extended to the end of the season.[11] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against Crewe Alexandra on 2 March 2021.[12]
He moved on loan to Millwall on 1 July 2021.[13] He scored his first goal for the club when he scored against West Bromwich Albion on 11 September 2021 in a 1–1 draw.[14]
On 30 June 2022, Ballard joined newly promoted Championship club Sunderland for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract.[15] [16] On 16 September 2023, Ballard scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 3–1 win against QPR.
He signed a new deal in July 2024 to extend his time on Wearside until 2028.[17]
Born in England, Ballard qualifies to represent Northern Ireland as his mother was born there.
He has represented Northern Ireland at Under-18 and Under-21 levels.[18] He was called up to the senior team for the first time in March 2019.[19] [20] He made his senior debut in a 1–1 draw against Romania in a Nations League game in September 2020.[21]
In September 2023, Ballard was injured and ruled out of Euros qualifying matches.[22] In October 2024 he missed Nations League games due to injury.[23]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Arsenal | 2019–20 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 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 | League Two | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Blackpool (loan) | 2020–21 | League One | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| Millwall (loan) | 2021–22 | Championship | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 33 | 1 | ||
| Sunderland | 2022–23 | Championship | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Championship | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 43 | 3 | |||
| 2024–25 | Championship | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | |||
| Total | 69 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 126 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 139 | 7 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 2020 | 5 | 0 |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 3 | |
| Total | 28 | 5 |
Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ballard goal.
| 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 | ||
| 4 | 5 September 2024 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 25 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League C | ||
| 5 | 15 November 2024 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 27 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2024-25 UEFA Nations League C |