Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien gives emotional interview after making his Premier League debut in the 1-1 draw at Liverpool.
The 31 year old was left overwhelmed with emotion, fighting back the tears while speaking about his family, pride in his journey up from non league to top flight.
He also showed gratitude to the manager, staff, teammates, and fans, praised the team’s togetherness, the behind-the-scenes work, but also stressed there’s still much more to achieve if he wants to be a regular in the Premier League.
Luke O’Nien. Premier League.
It’s been some journey 🥹 pic.twitter.com/4rF9CDH4pI
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) December 3, 2025
Interviewer: “Luke, an immensely proud moment for you tonight in a Sunderland shirt, how does that feel?”
Luke: “I just got off FaceTime with my wife and my sister, so a little bit emotional just seeing them and my wife said my kids are up and they were jumping up and down when I came on, so yeah listen it’s very special.”
“I just said to the boys, I couldn’t be prouder of the group we have. We’ve been with Daniel and Pata and the journey this club’s been on and then seeing just the quality that have come in, but not just the quality of the human beings and the way they’ve gone about climbing this Premier League table has been special and to be a part of it, to come this far, this incredible club with the fan base, I think for the first time in my Sunderland career I’m lost for words.”
Interviewer: “Well, it’s one of those moments for you as well, it’s a pretty full circle moment, but I don’t think anyone in a Sunderland persuasion can deny it’s one you richly deserve.”
Luke: “Thank you, I didn’t have myself down for making my Premier League debut as a left winger. So listen, I actually don’t know what to say, I’m just a bit emotional, very, very happy and yeah, just a big thank you to the gaffer for this opportunity with his staff and his team and his fan base and this club. It’s very special for me and it’s a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Interviewer: “And it’s some arena to do it in as well, stepping out at Anfield in a game as well, where we were battling our way to a point to the Premier League champions.”
Luke O’Nien has now played in the Premier League, Championship, League One, FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy for Sunderland.
313 games for us and two promotions. Not to mention a promotion winner with Wycombe Wanderers in League Two. Also played non-league with Wealdstone.#SAFC pic.twitter.com/zWoTZyium2
— James Copley (@JamesCopley_) December 3, 2025
Luke: “I said it to the boys at the end, I thought they deserved the three points, I thought they were incredible.
“The way they battled, the way they fought, I thought they limped into very few, if not many chances at all and I really thought the boys deserved three points.
“So it’s a big step in the right direction for this club, they’ve built every single week, the club’s got better and better and yeah, wow, I’ll try not to cry.
“Yeah, honestly, I’m so proud for this team, this club and this city, it’s a very special day.”
Interviewer: “Obviously, you started the season with a bit of a setback, having to battle your way back from injury, but you’ll have been a strong part of the squad behind the scenes that’s had such a strong start to the season. That must have been an impressive thing for you to see.”
Luke: “Yeah, I’m dead grateful for the physios, for working with me and the people that I saw to help me get back.
“I’ve just looked at my phone and I’ve got a message from my non-league manager, Gordon Bartlett. I was playing non-league about 13 years ago, so to be at Anfield today is special, but yeah, this club’s come a hell of a long way from League One all the way back to the Premier League.
“It’s been a lot of work, there’s a lot of people behind the scenes putting in a lot of good work and it’s just incredible to see.”
“I’m not surprise by seeing how much work goes on behind the scenes and it’s nice that the fans are getting all this, but there’s a lot of work from people that not everyone sees and I’m just very proud of everybody.
Interviewer: “You put an Instagram post out a couple of months back of you sat on a patch of grass at Wealdstone, I think it was, to now stepping out at Anfield. A young lad, I couldn’t have envisaged a dream like this.”
From sitting on the floor in non-league to walking out at the Theatre of Dreams, all in just over a decade.
I remember sitting on the grass at Wealdstone because the bench was full, waiting for my chance and hoping for a moment to prove myself.
Last weekend, after a long… pic.twitter.com/gwhmJDmTsZ
— Luke O’Nien (@LukeONien) October 14, 2025
Luke: “Not at all. At least my mum and dad were in the crowd today and I just wanted to go up and give them a hug and I’m going to do this straight after this interview and them too, my brother and my sister, my wife and her family, the kids, especially my Mum and Dad.
“I just wouldn’t be here without them and seeing my Mum jump up and down, I think she was slightly happier than me, so I’m just really appreciative of them.
“I’ve still got a lot of focus, I’m well aware you don’t just make one appearance and call yourself a Premier League player. You’ve got a lot of work, I’ve still got a lot of focus. I’m very focused on building and supporting this team in the best way possible.
“Listen, last season I think you take different roles depending on injuries and how the team’s gone and the team’s so strong. I’m proud to be on the bench, but also I really want to get on, but the team’s so good. Last season, the most important part of promotion last season was Simon Moore and he played four games, so Moore was my mentor this season.
“I’m like, if I can be somewhat like him and help the team like he did last year and get us all promoted, if that’s my role, that’s my role and I’ll keep pushing the people that are starting. I could go through all of them. They’ve just been sensational.
“Some of them have been some of the best players in the Premier League, from Trey to Ray. I could go through the whole tier list, I’m just naming the whole 11. Every single one of them, the way they’ve all worked, the way they’ve been patient, the respect that the players show each other when teams are playing and we’re on the sideline pushing each other, it’s the environment we wanted to create, we’ve created it.
“It’s taken a long time from being in League One and we’ve just chipped away at it and I’m so happy to see the club in a nice place. But listen, we’ve still got way more work to do. I’m now setting my sights on a lot more appearances and learning from the players that are in and maybe when I get to 50 Premier League appearances, maybe I might then say I’m a Premier League player.
“But to get the first one, I’m very, very proud. I’m grateful to you guys and to everybody. Keep it together, don’t cry. I’m going to go see my mum and dad now, I think.”