Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has promised he will put his own ego aside when he comes to Perth Glory Stadium and has announced he will not be coming to Australia for a holiday.
Sturridge's single-season contract with Glory is the largest deal in the history of the men's league.
The 32-year-old former England international, a two-time Champions League and FA Cup winner, scored 67 goals in six years at Liverpool and won the Premier League title with Chelsea.
Sturridge will be a shining star in every game that fights for honour, but instead of focusing on personal honour while enjoying australian life, he is eager to immerse himself in the club's history and help the team succeed.
"I'm a humble person who leaves my ego out of the door," Sturridge said. "Of course the players can play a role, but as far as one player leads a team, I don't think that's possible in world football because everyone needs it.
"Everyone in the team is important. I'm not going there for a holiday. I went to play football. I was there to do my best. ”
Sturridge is training with the coach in England and the exact date of his arrival in Australia has not yet been determined due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The talented striker hasn't played a single game for most of 19 months, but he says he's been training during that time, including with Mallorca in La Liga.
"It's the longest time I haven't played a competitive game," Sturridge said. "But in terms of training, I've been training all the time. I didn't let myself go and didn't have time to rest.
"I didn't really lose any health. In fact I lost weight. Outside of isolation, I might be in better shape. ”
Sturridge withdrew from the tournament for a long time from march last year, when he was banned globally for four months for violating gambling rules.
After Sturridge's ban ended, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the world and he decided he wouldn't go straight back to the club if he didn't feel right.
Sturridge said he chose Perth Glory because of an intuition and the praise of former Liverpool players Robbie Fowler and Brad Jones for the club.
The four-month suspension left Sturridge devastated, but he never lost his love of football.
"In my heart, you never lose your love of the game," Sturridge said.
"It's a sport that I love and enjoy, and when I was three or four years old, I played in my front garden.
"Even if I'm old and have gray hair, I might try to play football with my grandson or something else. This wonderful game will stay with me for the rest of my life, and it is something I was born to do.
"Watching the game for such a long time, I had the feeling, 'I want to go out, I want to play.'" ”
"But the key is to choose the right place and make the right decision."