BORN ON THIS DAY: DAN BALLARD

Happy 26th birthday to Sunderland defender Dan Ballard, who signed in summer 2022 and played a massive part in our promotion to the Premier League, scoring what is already known as one of the Stadium of Light's most famous goals.

Dan came through Arsenal’s youth ranks but never played a game for their senior team, instead making a name for himself through various EFL loan spells. After a brief stint at Swindon, he went on loan to Blackpool in 2020/21 where he won promotion from League One (alongside Elliot Embleton).

With a promotion under his belt, Ballard then joined Millwall on loan. Looking at his physique he’s the perfect Millwall defender - absolutely massive and just willing to win headers all day long. He became a real fan favourite at The Den, and Millwall fans were gutted when we pipped them to his permanent signing.

We signed him from the Gunners on a three-year contract, and Arsenal fans were actually disappointed because they believed Ballard had a future as a Premier League centre-half. He made his debut for us in the first game of the season against Coventry and did start well until sustaining an injury at home to QPR in early August. That game was frustrating from start to finish: an early Ballard injury, their player choking Gooch and not being sent off, then scoring a free kick, then of course their keeper scored a last minute equaliser.

That injury kept him out for a long chunk of the season (19 games) but came back against Hull in December 2022 and slipped straight back into the starting XI. He would be an unsung hero for us at the back, forming a formidable partnership with Danny Batth, but sadly missed our play-off run-in due to a hamstring injury. Of course, that left us exposed against Luton with one of the smallest backlines the EFL has ever seen - Hume, O’Nien and Gooch in a back three.

He has solidified himself as one of Northern Ireland's best players, alongside Trai Hume, and the pair have both worn their country's captains armband at various points. Big Dan earned himself a spot in Sunderland's history books during the 2024/25 play-offs. In the first leg (Coventry away), he hadn't started the last 12 games but played from the start in such a high-pressure match. He was monumental, some described him as a modern-day Charlie Hurley, heading balls away and throwing his body on the line. A complete warrior, he was named a clear Man of the Match despite Isidor and Mayenda both getting on the scoresheet.

If that wasn't enough, he followed it up with a similarly monstrous performance in our home leg. Of course, this performance was capped off with his famous header, literally the last moment of the game. Til The End: 121:59. The greatest goal the SoL has ever seen? Possibly.

Those two semi-finals, plus his display in the Wembley final against Sheffield United, is said to be the best string of three games ever played by a Sunderland player. Happy birthday Dan, all the best!