Daniel Ballard

Daniel George Ballard (born 22 September 1999) is a professional footballer who plays for Sunderland as a centre back.

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.

Ballard moved on loan from Arsenal to Swindon Town in July 2019.

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.

He then scored his first career goal in an EFL Trophy tie against Chelsea U21s on 6 August 2019.

But his loan spell was cut short after just three appearances due to a severe knee injury that required 5 months of recovery time.

He was called up to the senior team for the first time in March 2019.

In October 2020, he moved on loan to Blackpool, signing with the club until January 2021.

Ballard made his debut in a 1–0 loss against Charlton in League One on 20 October.

On 5 January 2021, it was announced that the loan had been extended to the end of the season.

He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against Crewe Alexandra on 2 March 2021.

He moved on loan to Millwall on 1 July 2021.

He scored his first goal for the club when he scored against West Bromwich Albion on 11 September 2021 in a 1–1 draw.

On 30 June 2022, Ballard joined newly promoted Championship club Sunderland for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract.

On 16 September 2023, Ballard scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 3–1 win against QPR.

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.

He made his senior debut in a 1–1 draw against Romania in a Nations League game in September 2020.

In September 2023, Ballard was injured and ruled out of Euros qualifying matches.