In the past year, Ballard has been unavailable for Northern Ireland as much as he has been able to play. Of the five games he has missed, Northern Ireland have lost two, won two - both against Luxembourg - and drawn once. A physical presence, Northern Ireland have conceded four goals in the five matches that Ballard has played in, compared to 10 when he has been unavailable. Five of those came against Sweden, when O'Neill was not only without Ballard but also Trai Hume and Bradley in a weakened NI team. At the other end of the pitch, Ballard is also a threat and has scored five goals in his 33 caps.

Source: BBC March 23, 2026 14:44 UTC