Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has opened up about the one striker who truly captivated him as a child and surprisingly, it isn’t someone he played with or even supported at club level growing up.
Although Sturridge had plenty of star forwards around him during his career, including lining up with Luis Suarez at Liverpool, it was Brazilian and Real Madrid legend Ronaldo who left the biggest impression on him.
Sturridge grew up supporting Derby County, following in the footsteps of his uncle Dean, who played for the Rams. Later, his loyalties shifted to Arsenal, giving him the chance to watch some of the Premier League’s most prolific forwards, including Dennis Bergkamp, Nicolas Anelka, and Thierry Henry.
Despite admiring these greats, it was Ronaldo nicknamed R9 who inspired him most. Speaking to Away Days, Sturridge recalled:
“I feel like this takes me back to living in Congleton and sitting at home on a Saturday night watching La Liga. But I remember specifically watching the likes of Ronaldo, [Zinedine] Zidane, you know, the Galacticos at that time was so special. And obviously we call him R9. He’s my favourite number nine of all time.”
Sturridge highlighted how Ronaldo’s revolutionary skillset left him in awe and even influenced his own development as a player:
“Skills-wise I think he [Ronaldo] was revolutionary as a centre forward who could move anywhere on the pitch, manipulate the ball in so many different ways. Stepovers around goalkeepers weren’t like, bro, people aren’t even doing that now. And the guy was doing like two stepovers. He inspired me so much, gave me so much life in the front garden where I’d be trying to do different types of skills.”
Among the many tricks and techniques, there was one particular move that the 36-year-old had never seen executed by a striker before.
“He was the first guy I saw do a flip flap,” Sturridge said. “And to do the flip flap like bear in mind this is the chalk right here and he’s doing the flip flap there and keeping it in like, for Inter Milan that was. I think the guy revolutionised the centre forward position because he was doing things that nobody had ever seen before. Remember Bobby [Robson] holding his head on the sidelines like, ‘what have I just seen’? I’ve never seen a human do something like that before. He was an alien running around on the pitch, basically.”
The former England striker admiration for Ronaldo extended beyond the pitch. The ex-Liverpool forward described meeting the Brazilian as a memorable experience, highlighting both his professionalism and warmth:
“He was cool. Such a nice guy.”
Even for someone who has played alongside some of football’s best, Ronaldo’s impact on Sturridge’s life and career remains profound not just as a player, but as an inspiration for the creativity and joy football can bring.
