Daniel Sturridge is a UCL and FA Cup winner who scored 68 goals in six years with Liverpool and also won the PL with Chelsea.
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Perth Glory confirmed on Friday that former Liverpool and England forward Daniel Sturridge has agreed to terms with the club for the 2021/22 A-League season. The 32-year-old is a UEFA Champions League and FA Cup winner who scored 68 goals in six years with Liverpool and also won the Premier League with Chelsea. At the international level, he was a member of England’s squads at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 UEFA European Championships, as well as Team GB at the London Olympics in 2012. Sturridge is now reportedly relishing the prospect of beginning a new chapter in his illustrious career with the Australian club.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to try a new challenge,” he said.
“When the opportunity came about, it felt like the right thing to do, to take my talent somewhere where I can enjoy my football in a competitive league and try and help the team be as successful as they possibly can be. I’m going to put my best foot forward, work hard and try and help the team win each game that comes by and then we’ll see where we end up when the season finishes. I can’t wait to play at HBF Park and hopefully put a smile on a lot of faces,” he added.
The 32-year-old former England and Liverpool striker has been out of the game since March 2020, when he was banned for four months for violating the FA’s gambling regulations. Sturridge trained with Spanish club Real Mallorca during the summer while looking for a new club, and Perth Glory have now signed the Champions League and Premier League winner for the A-League 2021-22 season. Sturridge is the latest high-profile player to play in Australia, joining former Premier League stars such as Robbie Fowler, Dwight Yorke, William Gallas, Harry Kewell, and Tim Cahill.
“Daniel’s quality on the park speaks for itself and it is fantastic for the club and the league that a player of Daniel’s calibre is joining us,” Glory head coach Richard Garcia said.
“His motivation and drive aligns with the values and ambitions of the team and the club as a whole,” he added.
Perth Glory chairman and owner Tony Sage added: “Daniel is undoubtedly one of the biggest signings not only in Glory’s history, but in the history of the A-League.”
“His arrival signals in no uncertain terms how determined we are to bring sustained success to the club and the lengths we will go to in order to achieve that goal. We know the elite-level quality Daniel will bring to the side and are hugely excited to see him wearing the famous purple this season,” he concluded.
Birmingham-born Sturridge began his career as a youth player for Aston Villa, Coventry City, and Manchester City, where he made his senior debut in 2007. In 2009, he signed a four-year contract with Chelsea, where he scored 24 goals during a four-year period that included a loan spell at Bolton.
Sturridge then joined Liverpool in January 2013 and had a productive first full season at Anfield, scoring 21 Premier League goals and earning a spot on the PFA Team of the Year as a result.
