Stealing the limelight away from Luis Suarez isn’t easy. The Uruguayan seems to court attention with his every breath. Still, Daniel Sturridge deserves credit for making his presence felt by Liverpool fans and the larger footballing world.
But in getting to this stage he’s often been dogged by claims that he’s a ‘selfish footballer’, or the suggestion that he’s got a an arrogant personality. These are claims that he’s been keen to refute.
“The arrogant thing annoys me most – it annoys me a lot. But it’s life, isn’t it? I think everyone has a perception, like I have perceptions of people I don’t know.” (Source: The Mirror)
Some may think that scoring 24 goals in 30 Premier League appearances pretty much justifies an arrogant outlook. But Sturridge is keen to do away with that image of himself. So what then, is Daniel Sturridge actually like?
“I’ve always been a chilled guy; living life, enjoying life, always smiling, always bantering; everyone who has met all says the same. I’ve never had any problems or any beef with anybody or anything like that. I do set up chances for people and I do enjoy giving assists and being part of the team, but in some cases maybe you don’t get the credit you deserve.”
It’s worth noting that many of the very best footballers in the world played with an arrogant swagger. Think of Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane. There’s nothing inherently wrong with having an arrogant air, or having a particularly high opinion of yourself.
It only becomes a problem when you’re not able to contribute positively to the team. As we know, that’s just not the case with Daniel Sturridge. The man has been a revelation for the Reds and has earned his plaudits.
Whilst opposition fans like to suggest that Sturridge is selfish, this is a serious exaggeration. He’s effective and he’s hard-working. So what if he knows it? I can’t help but feel that much of this criticism is tinged with jealousy.
At 24-years-old, Daniel Sturridge is just about entering his peak. Liverpool fans should consider themselves very lucky indeed.
What’s your take? Is Daniel Sturridge too arrogant for his own good?
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Nope, I don’t think he’s in anyway arrogant. Confident maybe but that’s a positive. Whenever he’s interviewed he always come across as a really good lad. I’d love to meet him as I suspect he’s a really good laugh.
And talented. Man is he talented. Only because he wasted 2 or 3 years at Chelski is he not already a club legend at Liverpool. If he’d played 100 game for Liverpool by now and had scored at the rate he is doing, then he’d be up there or even surpass Fowler.
Sometimes confidence gets confused with arrogance. You seen when Sturridge scored he let everybody know Coutinho made it happen with a beautiful pass. Ronaldo I think is confident and arrogant and lazy but not Sturridge.