Daniel Ballard

Daniel George Ballard (born 22 September 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre back for side Sunderland. Born in England, he represents Northern Ireland at international level.

Arsenal
Born in Stevenage, Ballard joined the Arsenal Academy at the age of eight. He signed his first professional contract in June 2018.

Loan to Swindon Town
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.

Loan to Blackpool
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.

Loan to Millwall
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.

Sunderland
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.

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

International

 * Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ballard goal.