Daniel Sturridge has named an error-prone former England goalkeeper among the four toughest he faced during his career. The former Chelsea and Liverpool striker, despite being plagued by injuries, was a brilliant marksman in his prime, with his ability to manipulate the ball at will the crown jewel of a skillset that helped him forge a devastating strike partnership with Luis Suarez in the 2013/14 campaign.
That season, under Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool scored 101 goals, with Sturridge contributing 22 goals and seven assists as the Reds finished runners-up in a rollercoaster campaign that unravelled late on against the likes of Chelsea and Crystal Palace, condemning them to yet another year without the long-elusive Premier League title. Watch his highlights from the 2013/14 season below:
Sturridge would go on to finish his Liverpool career with 68 goals in 160 appearances, but once injuries caught up with him, he was never quite the same. In the limited minutes he did get after returning, he found converting chances increasingly difficult.
Yet, even at his peak, there were four goalkeepers he considered the toughest to beat - a list he recently unearthed while explaining some of the modern-day techniques shot-stoppers use to get inside a striker’s head.
The Four Toughest Goalkeepers Daniel Sturridge Faced
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge celebrates with his famous dance.
In a recent episode of the Away Days YouTube channel - hosted by Ellis Platten in partnership with Classic Football Shirts - Daniel Sturridge was invited to reflect on some of the toughest goalkeepers he faced across his 17-year career while reminiscing over classic kits from his playing days in the store.
The segment (which begins at the 11:00 mark in the video below) opens with Sturridge recalling a clash with legendary German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who had an uncanny ability to make himself look big and the goal look small - instantly marking him out as a nightmare opponent.
He then went on to name Manuel Neuer, Joe Hart, and Thibaut Courtois among the other shot-stoppers he found the most difficult to beat. He said:
"He's [Oliver Kahn] got that aggression that look in his eyes. You know when you look into a keeper's eyes, and you go 'phwoar, it's gonna be a tough test today, you know.' He's got that presence and that aura in the back of the net. Running through on goal, you want to feel comfortable, but he wasn't the type to let you feel comfortable.
"[On others he found it tough to play against] I would say Neuer, just because of his height. I would also choose Courtois - he was so big, it's like, 'where do you want me to go?' There's certain goalkeepers where you know your shot has to be perfect. Another one for me was Joe Hart."
Joe Hart Never Got the Credit He Deserved
Joe Hart in action for England
Joe Hart in action for England
Hart’s career, though decorated, was punctuated by several high-profile mistakes that often overshadowed his best moments. At Euro 2016, he was heavily criticised for being beaten too easily by Gareth Bale’s long-range free-kick and later by Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s tame strike in England’s humiliating defeat to Iceland in the Round of 16.
During his time at Manchester City, errors against Real Madrid in the Champions League and mishandled efforts in the Premier League fuelled doubts about his reliability. Loan spells at Torino and West Ham also highlighted lapses in concentration, with poor positioning and handling costing his sides. These mistakes chipped away at his once-solid reputation, but Sturridge was in no doubt about his qualities when he was at his best, adding:
"Harty because he kind of knew my finishes through the academy. You know when you work with a goalkeeper for a while, they start to know certain little things. So there were some shots where I'd already been wheeling away in celebration. I looked back, and Hart had got down low."
Agreeing that Hart was a "special goalkeeper," it’s fair to say the now-pundit's trophy cabinet does much of the talking for him, rewriting the narrative for those who undermined his abilities during the mid-to-late 2010s. At Man City, he was a cornerstone of their rise to dominance before the Pep Guardiola era, winning two Premier League titles (2011/12, 2013/14), two League Cups, and an FA Cup.
Individually, he collected four Premier League Golden Gloves, proof of his consistency at the very top. With 75 England caps as first-choice at major tournaments, and later a renaissance at Celtic - where he shored up the defence and lifted two Scottish Premiership titles - Hart was ultimately able to bow out as a hero even after the media tried to paint him otherwise.