PLAYER PROFILE · SUNDERLAND · DEFENDER
ONE BOOKING FROM A BAN
On 4 yellow cards. A 5th booking in the Premier League triggers a one-match suspension.
Ballard
In and out of the side, starting 25 of 41 games last season.
DefenderNorthern Ireland · #5 · Age 26FRINGE
SEASON STATS
GOALS
2
0.08 / 90
ASSISTS
0
0 / 90
AVG RATING
6.80
avg
APPS
31
25 starts
MINUTES
2,287
74 / game
SHOTS
26
0.8 / game
CAREER BY SEASONclub competitions
| SEASON | CLUB | APPS | STARTS | G | A | MINS | RATING |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 |  Sunderland | 31 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 2,287 | 6.80 |
| 2024/25 | Sunderland | 23 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1,421 | 7.04 |
| 2023/24 | Sunderland | 44 | 44 | 3 | 0 | 3,926 | 7.08 |
Injury-prone · 2024/25
HamstringKneeAnkleMuscle
Picked up several different injuries last season. A hint from reported availability — it can be incomplete, so treat it as a flag to check, not a verdict.
RECENT FORM · LAST 104 OF 10 STARTED
◄ OLDERMOST RECENT ►
S
PorS
Bri–
New–
Tot–
AstS
NotS
Wol–
Man–
Eve–
CheStarted
Off the bench
Didn't feature
LAST PLAYED
59 days ago
Started vs Wolves
NEXT MATCH · IN 53 DAYS
@ Ipswich
Sat 15:00 · EPL
OVERVIEW
Ballard plays as a defender for Sunderland. Ballard wears the number 5 shirt.
Last season Ballard played 31 times for Sunderland, starting 25 of them, with 6 substitute appearances, averaging 74 minutes a match across all competitions. Recently he has started 2 of the last 5 Sunderland matches. Sunderland's next match is against Ipswich in the EPL on Sat 22 Aug, 14:00.
START RATE BY COMPETITION2025/26
Premier League
63% 24/38
FA Cup
33% 1/3
CAREER & TRANSFERS
OCT 2020 · LOAN
Arsenal → Blackpool
Loan