After an absence of 53 years, Sunderland are back on the European stage – and Luke O’Nien will be part of the entourage. At 31 years old, the defender is on track to become the player with the most official appearances for the Black Cats, although doubts persist about his ability to assert himself consistently in the Premier League.
“When you arrive at a club you never know how things are going to go or how long you are going to stay,” O’Nien told BBC Radio Newcastle. “Nowadays it’s rare for a player to stay in the same place for so long.” In 2024/25 it will be its ninth season at the Stadium of Light, in a modern tale that culminated in European classification: Sunderland leapfrogged several rivals and grabbed seventh place in the final round, beating Chelsea 2-1 at home.
Arriving in 2018 with the club still in League One (third tier), O’Nien took a while to establish himself at the top. In 2023/24, he started just 12 league games under Regis Le Bris and only at the beginning of March played his first full 90 minutes in the Premier League as captain. He then benefited from injuries to direct competitors and added five more starters until the end of the season. His debut as a starter came in a March duel with Leeds, in which he was elected Man of the Match – not only for his performance, but for embodying “Mr. Sunderland”, a label that fans and club gave him.
Critics point out limitations – lack of speed, anticipation and decision-making – especially when he plays as a center on the right side in a trio. Therefore, he became an easy target on social media. Still, his weight in the locker room is undeniable. The only survivor of the cast portrayed in the documentary “Sunderland ’Til I Die” (2018), O’Nien is today the “glue” between team and fans, an emotional leader whose total dedication moves the stands.
The route helps explain the aura. 12 years ago, O’Nien played in the seventh age group. A Watford graduate, he was released after the club informed his father that he would not have a contract. A marathon of emails followed to dozens of badges – with just one response. He ended up at Wealdstone, then in division seven, and in 2015 was still competing at level six. The leap came with moving to Wycombe Wanderers, two levels above, a step for which he says he is “eternally grateful”. Three years and 119 games later, he signed for Sunderland, recently relegated to the third tier.
He experienced it all in the Northeast: the play-off defeat to Charlton in his debut season, eighth place (the club's worst ever) the following year, and the turnaround in 2022, with promotion to the Championship through a play-off triumph against his former club, Wycombe. Consolidation followed and, twelve months ago, the long-awaited return to the Premier League. While the club invested heavily to prepare for the elite, O’Nien renewed until 2027, with the option for another season.
Today he has 329 official games for Sunderland, with only two names – both deceased before the turn of the millennium – above him in the historical rankings. There are 23 games left to take the top spot, an objective that he pursues with the same determination that he now dreams of making his senior international debut – a scenario that many consider increasingly likely.
"I've had good games, bad games and everything in between. I've improved since day one", he admits. “If I want to reach 350 or more, I have to keep evolving so I don’t become the same player I am now.” And it is with this work ethic that ‘Mr. Sunderland’ is preparing for a return to the European nights that seemed impossible when they were taking their first steps into non-league football.