Daniel Sánchez Ayala (born 7 November 1990) is a Spanish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
defender for club
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. His first club was
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, where he spent two seasons as a reserve. He joined
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
in 2011, and joined Middlesbrough on loan in October 2013, before joining the club on a permanent deal in January 2014. He left Middlesbrough on 27 June 2020 after failing to agree a new contract.
Club career
Liverpool
Born in
El Saucejo,
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
,
Andalusia
Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...
, Ayala agreed a move to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
in September 2007 after rejecting a professional contract with
Sevilla
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
, where he came through the youth team. Liverpool paid a compensation fee to Sevilla and Ayala was offered a three-year contract. In the 2007–08 season he featured predominantly in the Under-18 team, whilst in the 2008–09 season he split his time between the Under-18 and reserve teams. He played through injury in the
FA Youth Cup 2008–09
FA, Fa or fa may refer to:
People
* Fa of Xia, King of China 1747–1728 BC
* Fa Ngum (1316–1393), founder and ruler of the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang
Places
* Fa, Aude, a commune of the Aude ' in France
* Falmouth Academy, a private colle ...
Final defeat to Arsenal.
Ayala made his senior debut on 16 August 2009 in a
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
match against
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
, coming on as a substitute for the injured
Martin Škrtel
Martin Škrtel (born 15 December 1984) is a Slovak former professional footballer, a former player and captain of the Slovakia national team and Liverpool Football Club.
Škrtel previously played for FK AS Trenčín and Zenit Saint Petersburg ...
and made his first start against
Stoke City at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
three days later. On Halloween, he came on as a substitute in Liverpool's 3–1 defeat against
Fulham at
Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage is a football ground in Fulham, West London, England, which has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896.According to the club'official website The ground's capacity is 22,384; the record attendance is 49,335, for a game against ...
, after
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's v ...
and
Philipp Degen
Philipp Degen (born 15 February 1983) is a retired Swiss professional footballer. Degen was usually a right back who could also play at left back or on the right wing. Degen reached the last 16 in the 2006 World Cup with Switzerland and was se ...
were sent off. He also played in Liverpool's 4–0 win over
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
, subsequently relegating them to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
, and Liverpool's 2–0 defeat against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. On 12 November, it was announced that the player had signed an extended contract keeping him at Liverpool until the summer of 2012.
In September 2010, Ayala joined
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
side
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
on loan. He started the same day in Hull City's away match at
Cardiff City which they lost 2–0.
In his second match for the club against
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
he scored his first goal in a competitive match.
On 20 September, Liverpool announced that his loan period had been extended until 1 January. Ayala played 12 times for Hull in all competitions, scoring once. On 27 December, he returned to Liverpool due to an injury crisis.
On 11 February 2011,
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
finally signed Ayala on a loan deal until the end of the season, after the move was delayed due to the players hamstring injury which he picked up while playing for
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
. He went on to play 17 times for Derby, making 16 consecutive starts.
Norwich City
On 13 August 2011, Ayala signed for
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
for a reported fee of £800,000. The deal officially went through on 16 August 2011. Ayala was handed the number 26 shirt, vacated by
Steven Smith and was named in the squad for the Premier League fixture against Stoke City at Carrow Road on 21 August 2011. This was due to
Zak Whitbread being rated as doubtful for the fixture after picking up a knee knock against Wigan. He made his debut for Norwich as a second-half substitute for Anthony Pilkington following Leon Barnett's sending off against Stoke.
Unfortunately, Daniel suffered a nasty knee injury in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
defeat to
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
ruling him out for two months. He made his Norwich comeback in the 1–1 draw against Fulham, starting with
Zak Whitbread and playing 90 minutes. He played 90 minutes in goal-less draw against Chelsea at home. Ayala was ruled out for a few weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in the 2–0 win over Bolton.
On 7 August 2012, Ayala secured a season-long loan deal with Nottingham Forest. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 home win against
Cardiff City.
Middlesbrough
On 23 October 2013, Ayala joined
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
club
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
on a three-month emergency loan spell. He made his debut for Middlesbrough two days later, when his new side crushed
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
4–0, taking the honour of scoring on his debut. He bagged in his second goal for the club in his third appearance in their 2–2 draw with
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
, where he scored the equaliser in the final minute of added time.
On 24 January 2014, Ayala joined Middlesbrough on a permanent forty-two month contract.
Ayala thus became recently appointed manager
Aitor Karanka
Aitor Karanka de la Hoz (Basque and ; born 18 September 1973) is a Spanish football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of Segunda División club Granada.
Save for a brief spell in the United States at age 32, Karanka ...
's first permanent signing for Middlesbrough, with the fee reported to be in the region of £350,000.
He was released upon the expiration of his contract on 30 June 2020.
Blackburn Rovers
On 15 September 2020, Ayala signed for
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
on a 3-year-deal. Ayala made his debut for Blackburn in their 0–0 draw with Cardiff on 3 October. Ayala scored his first goal for Blackburn in the club's 2–1 win against
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
on 18 August 2021.
Career statistics
Honours
Middlesbrough
*
Football League Championship runner-up:
2015–16
Individual
*
The Football League Team of the Season: 2015–16
*
PFA Team of the Year:
2015–16 Championship
*
PFA Fans' Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Fans' Player of the Year (often called the PFA Fans' Player of the Year, or simply the Fans' Player of the Year) award is given to footballers in the top four flights of English football, the Premier Leag ...
:
2015–16 Championship
References
External links
Profile on LFCHistory.net*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayala, Daniel
1990 births
Living people
People from Sierra Sur (Seville)
Sportspeople from the Province of Seville
Spanish footballers
Association football defenders
Liverpool F.C. players
Hull City A.F.C. players
Norwich City F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Nottingham Forest F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Spain under-21 international footballers
Spanish expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England