As Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge stood just inches away from the World Cup trophy in London recently he told the Daily Mirror that he dreamed of James Bond lifting it after England won.
“That’s what I call Steve Gerrard,” explained Sturridge. “He doesn’t like it, but I call him that because he can do everything.
“On a day-to-day basis in training, you have to see it to believe what he can do with a football.”
As tempting as it was to reach out and grab the 18 carat trophy while it is on a tour of 90 countries before the final Sturridge went along with protocol and did not touch it.
“I just wanted to grab it, but FIFA only let you touch the World Cup if you’ve won it and I didn’t want to get locked up.
“It was strange because you see the World Cup as a kid and you dream about winning it – and you always imagine what it would be like to win it and touch it.
“But there was a time, only a couple of years ago, when I was scared I would be lost to the game. I had fallen out of love with football when I could not get in the team at Chelsea. To stand so close to the World Cup, in the hope I will be playing for it this summer, made me appreciate the journey I’ve been on.”
Sturridge grew up in Hockley a rough part of Birmingham close to Villa Park that is no stranger to crime.
“When people tell me I have a deadpan expression, sometimes that’s a reflection of where I come from,” he explained. “You couldn’t show your emotions, or look at people in a certain way, because you can’t be sure how they are going to react.
“Playing football is the one place where I’ve always felt at home, been able to express myself, felt able to be outlandish. I would say I am misunderstood because I am actually very outgoing, I like to have fun.”
Since joining Liverpool Sturridge is now free to enjoy his football and even has his own special goal celebration he calls “The Studge” that he likes to perform for the crowd after scoring a goal, and there has been plenty of celebrations with Sturridge having scored 32 goals in 35 Starts for Liverpool.
Together with strike partner Luis Suarez they are number one and number two in the premiership for goals this season.
He will however have to play against his Liverpool partner this summer when England take on Uruguay in the group stage of the World Cup on the 19th of June.
“I didn’t even known we had drawn Uruguay until I went in for treatment on my ankle at the training ground and Sebastian Coates [Liverpool’s Uruguayan defender] told me,” said Sturridge.
“Next day I saw Luis, and we had a joke about it, but it will be great to play against him because he’s a world-class player and a great friend of mine.”
“When the season finishes, I’m going to steal all his boots and his shinpads!
“But it’s a good sign for Liverpool that we had five players in England’s starting line-up last week.
“I’ve grown up with Jordan Henderson in international age groups, Raheem Sterling is like a little brother and I’m very close to him, Glen Johnson is a top-class player and then there’s James Bond… Stevie has got the lot, hasn’t he?
“If ever there was a player who deserved to finish his career with a Premier League winner’s medal or a World Cup winner’s medal it’s Steve Gerrard.”
