Five A-League Signings That Surprised Australian Football

Daniel Sturridge ain’t the first surprise signing down under.

Social media in Australia has gone wild after Perth Glory today announced the signing of English footballer Daniel Sturridge.

The 32-year-old striker who has played for big clubs like Chelsea and Liverpool is swapping the rainy weather of the UK for the sunny shores of Perth, signing to play for the club in the 2021/22 A-League season.

Sturridge is no slouch of a player. Despite having a career riddled with injuries, the player has still managed to win two Champions League medals, two FA Cups and a Premier League title.

As a Perth boy myself, it makes me proud to see my city on the world stage with Sturridge joining the club, but the rest of the country is baffled at how such a deal was pulled off.

In case people are forgetting, the A-League has attracted some massive names in the past, and Sturridge is hardly the most outrageous. So, in case you forgot, here are the five most surprising A-League signings (aside from Sturridge of course).

1. Emile Heskey

Considered to be one of the most underappreciated strikers in the world—albeit, atrociously slow—Heskey was a big player in the UK having played 150 games for Liverpool and 62 for the English Nation Team.

Heskey moved to the Newcastle Jets in 2012, playing a total of 42 games and 10 goals.

Not Bad.

2. William Gallas

Perth Glory seems to be astute at pulling off cunning deals, as back in 2013 they signed French defender William Gallas for a season.

Gallas in his elite in his prime, playing for Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, twice winning the league with Chelsea.

He only played 15 games and retired afterwards, but not a bad way to go after a sunny career.

3. David Villa

Spanish footballing legend David Villa made headlines in 2014 when Melbourne City announced the former World Cup winner would be joining them on a guest stint.

Initially, the deal was for 10 games, but parent club New York City FC recalled Villa early, leaving him to play only four games and score two goals.

We might not have seen much of him, but at least we got him at all.

4. Alessandro Del Piero

No name is more synonymous with Italian Football than Del Piero. The forward is considered a god back in Italy having played 513 games for Juventus and scoring 208 goals.

The great man has won Serie A multiple times, as well as the Champions League and a World Cup for Italy.

Before hanging up his boots, Del Piero ventured to Australia in his golden years to for Sydney FC for two years in 2012. His time there was a success, scoring 24 goals over 48 games.

5. Usain Bolt

Australia was shook when news sites were reporting Olympic Games gold medal sprinter and the coolest guy on Earth Usain Bolt had signed for the Central Coast Mariners in NSW.

The Olympian only played in friendlies though as he was ‘on trial’ with the club. Despite scoring two goals in the 8 weeks he spent with the club, Bolt didn’t sign a full contract with the club and moved on.

Nonetheless, it was pretty exciting to see the world’s fastest man down under to try his hand at football.

The real question is, will we ever see Ronaldo or Messi playing in Australia? Make it happen!

Header Image: Perth Glory