Full Name: Daniel Andre Sturridge
Club: Liverpool
Country: England
DOB: 01 September 1989 (age 24)
Height: 6’ 0”
If there was a player whose reputation has substantially increased since the start of this current season, it is definitely Daniel Sturridge. The Liverpool striker has been a fan favorite at Anfield since his high profile move from Chelsea in January 2013, and this season he has been a revelation. With England badly in need of a high-profile striker to help Wayne Rooney this summer at the World Cup, Sturridge’s timing couldn’t be any better and he is currently on course to win a starting spot.
Seen as a very dynamic striker, Sturridge is better known for his goal scoring ability on the ground than in the air. At six foot tall, you might expect him to be a powerful player in the air, but that isn’t necessarily the case and it is his ability to control the ball close to his feet that takes the spotlight. This season, he has already banged in double digit goals and he looks like a player willing to score at least one goal in each game going forward. With Luis Suarez serving a five game suspension at the beginning of this season, Sturridge took up the lone forward role and executed it perfectly. He has played a large part in Liverpool’s successful season to date and even with the return of Suarez, his level of play has not dropped.
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Did you know? He made his Manchester City 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.
Sturridge is an extremely quick player, and he has technique and pace to take on the toughest backlines. Through his career, while playing with Man City and Chelsea, he was often employed as a winger in the same type of mold as the likes of Thierry Henry. But at Liverpool, he has been given a more natural role and this in turn has helped him flourish as a player.
The Sturridge/Suarez partnership has been heavily compared to the famous Shearer/Sutton team we saw back in the 90’s. Which S&S partnership is better is completely up for debate, but Sturridge and Suarez have been prolific of late. Where Suarez is all about tricky moves and flashes of brilliance, Sturridge is more grit and getting things done very effectively on a simple basis.
Did you know? In 2013, Sturridge opened a charity foundation that is named after him in Portmore, Jamaica, with its aim to help youngsters there get into sport.
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Currently Wears: Nike Hypervenom Phantom
Over the past year, Sturridge has become one of Nike’s key players to wear the new Hypervenom Phantom series. In terms of compatibility, it seems like Sturridge has met a complete match and the agility boot is playing to the positives of his game.
Prior to the Hypervenom, Sturridge has a pretty mixed past with the big two brands. His entire Liverpool career, Sturridge has been wearing Nike but at Chelsea and Man City he jumped from Adidas to Nike and back to Adidas. As a younger player, he probably didn’t have the option of a set contract with one brand, so searching the right boot out was his strategy. From the Predator LZ to the Nike Tiempo Legend, he spent a lot of time experimenting.
Upon joining Liverpool he wore the CTR360 Maestri – a control boot that targets attacking midfielders that like to create. His decision to wear the Maestri made sense considering he joined Liverpool having played several seasons as a wide player cutting inside. But expect to see him wearing the Hypervenom at this summers World Cup in Brazil.
