Daniel Sturridge(oblation)

Daniel Andre Sturridge born 1 September 1989 is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool and theEngland national team as a striker.

Born in Birmingham, Sturridge spent four years in the Aston Villa academy before moving to Coventry City. He then signed for Manchester City in 2003. He continued his development at City and played in two FA Youth Cup finals. He made his first team debut in the 2007–08 season, becoming the only player ever to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cupand Premier League in the same season. He left City in 2009 and signed for Chelsea, where he was loaned out to Bolton Wanderers for the second half of the 2010–11 season. After a successful spell at Bolton, scoring eight goals in 12 appearances, he returned to Chelsea for the 2011–12 season. He left Chelsea to join Liverpool in January 2013.

Sturridge has represented England at all levels. He made 15 appearances and scored four goals for the Under-21 team. He made his debut for England against Sweden on 15 November 2011 and was selected for the 2012 Olympics and the2014 FIFA World Cup.

Club career
Liverpool

On 2 January 2013, Sturridge completed a move from Chelsea to Liverpool, signing a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £12 million.
2012–13 season



Sturridge made his Liverpool debut on 6 January against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup third round, scoring his first Liverpool goal after just 7 minutes in a game which Liverpool won 2–1. He scored on his league debut after coming on as a half-time substitute the following weekend, scoring in a 2–1 defeat against rivals and league leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford on 13 January. Sturridge scored his third goal for Liverpool in his first league start and home debut for the club, a 5–0 win against Norwich City at Anfield on 19 January, meaning he had scored three goals in his first three appearances for the club, becoming the first Liverpool player since Ray Kennedy in 1974 to accomplish this feat, despite not yet playing a full game for the club. On 3 February, Sturridge scored a goal from 25 yards-out against former club Manchester City in a 2–2 draw at the Etihad Stadium. Sturridge continued this run of form on 17 February, with an assist for team-mate Jose Enrique, as well as scoring a penalty against Swansea City in a 5–0 rout, having missed the prior two games due to a combination of ineligibility and injury. He also scored against Chelsea in a 2–2 draw at Anfield, the match of teammate Luis Suarez's biting incident which led to a 10-match ban for Suarez. Sturridge scored two goals and notched an assist in a 6–0 thrashing of Newcastle United on April 27 at St James' Park. On 12 May, he scored his first career hat-trick, in a 3–1 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

2013–14 season

Sturridge began the 2013–14 season by scoring the very first goal of the season, which also turned out to be the only goal in Liverpool's 1–0 win over Stoke City, with a shot from outside the box. He then followed this up with a goal against Aston Villa in another 1–0 win and a brace against Notts County in the League Cup, taking his season's tally to four goals in three games. He continued his fine form by scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win against fierce rivals and defending champions Manchester United on his 24th birthday at Anfield, and giving a man of the match performance in a 3–1 win away at Sunderland by scoring and providing two assists for Luis Suárez. These performances earned Sturridge the season's first Premier League Player of the Month award for the month of August. On 23 November, he came off the bench to score a last-minute equaliser against Everton, in a thrilling Merseyside derby that finished 3–3.

Sturridge's impressive goalscoring form continued into the new year, with Sturridge becoming the first Liverpool player in the Premier League era to score in seven consecutive league games when he found the net at Craven Cottage against Fulham. He went on to become only the second player in Premier League history to score in eight games in a row with a brace against Swansea City in a 4–3 win. He was then named 'Player of the Month' for the second time in the season, due to his performances in February in which he scored five goals and earned two assists.

On 18 April, he was named as one of the six players on the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year award. He was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. On 27 April 2014, he was named alongside teammates Steven Gerrard and Luis Suárez in the PFA Team of the Year. Sturridge's haul of 21 league goals made him the runner-up in the season's Premier League Golden Boot, behind strike partner Suárez.

2014–15 season

Sturridge started the 2014–15 season scoring a late winner in Liverpool's opening game - a 2-1 win over Southampton. While on international duty Sturridge got a thigh injury and was out up to three weeks. He was ruled out for another three more weeks after suffering another calf injury during training on 17 October 2014. On 18 November, Sturridge broke down in training with a new thigh injury which will see him miss the next six weeks. He made his return to the side on 31 January against West Ham as a 68th minute substitute for Lazar Markovic. He scored a goal in his 22 minutes on the field.

International career
London 2012 Olympics
On 2 July 2012, Sturridge was named in Stuart Pearce's 18-man squad for the Great Britain Olympic football team to compete at the London 2012 Olympics. It was however, announced on 3 July 2012 that Sturridge was undergoing tests for suspected meningitis, and was possibly going to be unable to compete in the GB 2012 team. However, he made a full recovery meaning he could take part and he scored his first goal for Great Britain in the second group match, a 3–1 victory over the UAE.[75] In the final group match, Sturridge scored the only goal as Great Britain defeated Uruguay to finish top of their group and progress to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-final match against South Korea, Sturridge missed the fifth penalty for Great Britain. South Korea then scored theirs, knocking out Team GB.

2014 FIFA World Cup
In May 2014, Sturridge was named in England's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and assigned the number 9 shirt. He scored the team's opening goal in a 3–0 friendly defeat of Peru at Wembley Stadium on 30 May.

On 14 June, Sturridge started England's opening match of the tournament and scored the team's goal in a 2–1 defeat by Italy in Manaus.

Style of play
Former Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas said, “Daniel offers a few of the characteristics I had with Hulk when I was with him in Porto... He is an extremely quick player, and he has technique at pace."

Sturridge said he preferred to play as a centre-forward rather than as a wide player. "I do still see myself as a striker but I am doing a job for the team and I'm enjoying doing it". As Sturridge transitioned from a wider role into a striker when he joined Liverpool, Sturridge also said that he likens himself on striker Thierry Henry who, "played wide for Juventus and then went to Arsenal and played as a centre-forward."

Although he rarely played for Chelsea as a striker, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has played Sturridge as a striker in most games. His ability to still drop between lines and pull wide and attack defences, similar to strike partner Suárez's playing style, has led to Rodgers describing him as, "what I call a 'nine-and-a-half", alluding to how his style of play is somewhere between a classic 'no.9' and a 'no.10'.

Personal life
Sturridge is the nephew of former footballers Dean and Simon Sturridge.

Sturridge is a Christian. After winning the Barclays Player of the Month award, Sturridge said, "I do all [through] Christ who strengthens me."

Sturridge is actively involved in charity work, often helping young players get involved in football. In 2012, while playing for Chelsea, he presented a cheque of €50,000 to Street League, a charity dedicated to helping disadvantaged players across Europe get into football. In summer 2013, Sturridge opened his charity foundation named after him inPortmore, Jamaica, with its aim to help youngsters there get into sport. Sturridge is of Jamaican descent, his grandparents being Jamaican.

Sponsorship
Sturridge has a sponsorship deal with American sportswear and equipment supplier, Nike, and wears Nike Hypervenom boots. He is an ambassador for BT Sport. Sturridge is featured in EA Sports' FIFA video game series, and his signature jig goal celebration is featured in FIFA 14.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/