Two paths, one dream – how duo reached Premier League
International Friendly:Â Denmark v Northern Ireland
Venue: Parken Stadium, Copenhagen Date: Saturday, 7 June Kick-off: 18:00 BST
Coverage:Â Watch live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two NI, listen on BBC Sounds and follow live text commentary & in-play clips on the BBC Sport website
After years of hard work, Daniel Ballard and Trai Hume are set to become Premier League players in August.
The Northern Ireland team-mates played a key role as Sunderland ended their six-year hiatus from the top flight with a dramatic Championship play-off win at Wembley.
Playing in the Premier League is a life-long goal for both players, but both arrived at their current point through very different means.
Defender Ballard came through the ‘traditional’ path, by working his way through Arsenal’s academy.
He didn’t make a senior appearance for the Gunners but a number of loan spells brought him to the attention of Sunderland in 2022.
Hume’s path, on the other hand, meant he had to bide his time for a chance.
When ambitions to move to England failed to come to fruition at the age of 16, he played in the Irish League in Northern Ireland with Linfield and Ballymena United, where the exposure to senior football at a young age certainly helped develop the combative player Sunderland fans have come to love.
If supporters didn’t know his name when he arrived for in January 2022, they certainly do now.
“My journey is probably a lot different to a lot of people,” admitted Hume.
“I missed out on going across the water at 16 years of age. I didn’t get picked by a lot of clubs and was told I wasn’t ready, and things like that.”
Hume said he “worked my socks off” to earn a move to England, and he’s been on Sunderland’s journey from League One to the Premier League.
“I like to think I deserve the opportunity that I’ve got,” he added.
“When I first moved to Sunderland they gave me time to adapt and get ready, and when I was ready to play I had my chance and thankfully took it. Now I am where I am, and I want to keep on pushing.”
Ballard said “it’s down to the individual a lot of the time” after he joined the academy at Arsenal as an eight-year-old.
“At Arsenal, from the outside it’s probably the perfect way to be brought up,” he added.
“But then a lot of players get lost in that system and Trai is a great example of coming through at a club that didn’t have the same facilities, but it just shows that it comes down to the individual.
“You have to put the work in yourself. No amount of facilities of coaches at that young age are going to turn you into a good player.”
