'Cometh the man' - Sunderland director delivers heartfelt 493-word tribute to Black Cats 'talisman'
Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has enjoyed a magnificent start to the new campaign
Sunderland non-executive director Leo Pearlman has paid a heartfelt tribute to Black Cats star Dan Ballard after the defender was named North East Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year earlier this week.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent months, scoring the last gasp goal that took his side to Wembley in the Championship play-off semi-final second leg, and then shining in the Premier League over the first half of the current campaign.
And taking to LinkedIn, Pearlman - who is also a co-founder of local production company Fulwell 73, as well as a lifelong Sunderland fan - was quick to hail the Northern Ireland for both his personal growth and the manner in which he epitomises the core values at the heart of both the club and the city writ large.
What did Leo Pearlman say about Sunderland defender Dan Ballard?
In a lengthy post, Pearlman said: “This week, at the North East Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year awards, something quietly profound happened. For the first time since Jermain Defoe in 2016, the main award went to a Sunderland AFC player. And not just any player, our talisman, one of the first names on the team sheet, hero of the play-offs, leader, big Dan Ballard.
“He’s been collecting accolades all season, Man of the Match performances, crucial goals against West Ham and Arsenal, and deserved inclusion in most pundits’ Premier League teams of the season so far. But the story worth telling isn’t the applause, it’s the journey. Twelve months ago, in the Championship, Dan started just 20 of 46 games. He was injured more often than he was selected. When fit, he was fighting for his place, with captain fantastic Luke O'Nien an automatic pick, with Dan battling Chris Mepham for the other centre-back spot. At times it looked like a lack of confidence, at times, fear of another injury.
“Something felt off, as if for all the physical attributes and obvious talent we, the fans, could see, he didn’t quite believe it himself. Which is why many Sunderland fans would admit that his selection for the most important two games of the last decade or more, the play-off semi-finals against Coventry City, came as something of a surprise. But cometh the man, cometh the moment. The 124th minute of the second leg, a packed Stadium of Light, one header that didn’t just change a match, it changed the fortunes of our club and the trajectory of his career.
“From that moment on, everything shifted. The opening-day goal against West Ham in this season’s 3–0 home win felt inevitable. The leadership, the confidence, and of course that now-iconic ‘look at me’ celebration - not arrogance, but affirmation. Dan Ballard’s rise mirrors the rise of our club and our city. No longer tentative, no longer asking permission, no longer hoping, but believing.
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“Now we look to Saturday. At home against Crystal Palace, current FA Cup holders, an established Premier League side who finished in the top ten last season and are playing European football this year. A year ago, this would have been framed as a free hit, a test, a reality check. But today? The expectation is nothing less than three points. That shift, from hope to expectation, tells you everything, about Dan, about this football club, about this city.
“Beyond football, there’s something here for all of us. Strength of character, patience through adversity and the courage to fulfil potential when doubt is loudest. None of that is easy, in sport, in business, or in life, but Dan Ballard’s journey is a reminder that wherever we find ourselves, whatever walk of life we’re in, there are lessons to be learned from those who keep going, keep believing and rise. Dan Ballard is Sunderland, what a difference twelve months makes, long may his rise and ours continue.”
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