Former England striker Daniel Sturridge had revealed that he wasn’t too dissatisfied with lacking out on the Three Lions squad for Euro 2012 as soon as he discovered he’d be enjoying for Nice Britain on the Olympic Video games as a substitute.
Whereas Sturridge had simply loved a fruitful marketing campaign for Chelsea within the 2011/12 season, scoring 13 objectives in 43 appearances in all competitions from right-wing, Roy Hodgson determined to not choose the younger ahead. By the point Hodgson had changed Fabio Capello as England supervisor, Sturridge had fallen barely out of favour with Roberto Di Matteo had Chelsea.
Certainly, he failed to return off the bench for the Blues in each the Champions League and FA Cup finals, highlighting why Hodgson determined to not take him to Ukraine and Poland that summer time.
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Sturridge, although, did not must mull over being snubbed for the crew – as a substitute, Stuart Pearce chosen him as a part of the Nice Britain squad set to compete on the 2012 Olympics. For Sturridge, getting that decision up appears extra worthwhile than if he had gone to the Euros.
“That was wonderful,” Sturridge explains to FourFourTwo concerning the Olympics call-up. “There was additionally the Euros that summer time – I didn’t make that England squad, however I assumed I ought to have been there.
“I’d scored an honest quantity of objectives that season and had an honest variety of assists, so I felt as if I ought to have gone, however then the chance offered itself to go to the Olympics. It was like, ‘Wow, I’ve an opportunity to go to the Olympics now?! After all I wish to go!’ I used to be grateful.
Sturridge celebrates scoring (Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
“I believe it’s a lot cooler in my life story to have performed on the Olympics – the one one {that a} British males’s footballer might play in. We made historical past.”
Taking part in for Staff GB on the Olympics additionally gave Sturridge the chance to reunite with a supervisor he had an awesome affinity for.
“Stuart Pearce was the supervisor who known as me up, and he’s been such an inspirational individual for me,” Sturridge provides. “He handed me my first-team debut at Man Metropolis and likewise my England Below-21 debut.
“He’s had loads of affect on my life and I’m grateful for his perception in me as a participant. He was a extremely good coach and his crew talks have been all the time fiery!”
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