Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling
Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Chelsea and the England national team.
Sterling began his career at Queens Park Rangers before signing for Liverpool in 2010. He was awarded the Golden Boy award in 2014. In July 2015, following a lengthy dispute over a new contract, he was signed by Manchester City in a transfer potentially worth £49 million, the highest transfer fee ever paid for an English player at the time. He went on to help Manchester City win back-to-back Premier League titles in the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons. In the 2018–19 season, he was named to the PFA Premier League Team of the Year and won the PFA Young Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year.
Sterling made his senior debut for England in November 2012 after previously being capped by England youth teams at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels. He was chosen in England's squads for the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018 and 2022, and the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020.
Early life
Raheem Shaquille Sterling was born on 8 December 1994 in Kingston, Jamaica to a Christian family, and spent his early years there. His mother, Nadine Clarke, was previously a competitive athlete in the Jamaican national athletics team: Sterling credits her for his unique running style. His father was murdered in Jamaica when Sterling was two years old. At the age of five, he moved to Neasden, London, with his mother, and attended Copland School in Wembley, north-west London. Due to behavioural problems, Sterling spent three years at Vernon House, a specialist school in Neasden.
Club career
Early career
Sterling spent four years with local youth team Alpha & Omega before signing for Queens Park Rangers, at age 10, as a winger. Sterling was subsequently scouted by the academies of Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Liverpool and Manchester City. However, he was encouraged by his mother not to choose clubs in the locality in order to escape the hostile gang culture in London.
Liverpool
Early career
Sterling was signed by Liverpool from the academy at Queens Park Rangers in February 2010 by then academy director Frank McParland and Rafael Benítez, for an initial fee of £450,000, with the possibility of rising up to £2 million depending on how many appearances he made for the first team.
He initially played in the club's youth team, making his debut in an Under-18s derby match against Everton. Sterling scored his first goal for Liverpool in a friendly match against Hibernian, which ended in a 2–2 draw. His first Premier Academy League match was a 2–2 draw against Aston Villa, with his first win coming at home to Bristol City a week later. On 15 December, he scored in the FA Youth Cup in a 4–0 win over Notts County. On 14 February 2011, Sterling scored five goals in a 9–0 win over Southend United.
On 24 March 2012, Sterling made his senior Liverpool debut as a substitute in a league match against Wigan Athletic, aged 17 years and 107 days, becoming the third-youngest player to play for the club. He made two more appearances over the remainder of the campaign, again as a substitute.
2012–2014: Development and breakthrough
In August 2012, he made his European debut for the club, coming on as a substitute in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match against Gomel, replacing Joe Cole in a 1–0 away win. The following week, Sterling scored his first goal for the senior team with a first-half strike in a friendly against Bayer Leverkusen. On 23 August 2012, he started his first match for Liverpool in a Europa League qualifying match away to Heart of Midlothian in a 1–0 win. He was given his first start in the league three days later in a 2–2 draw at Anfield to Manchester City. He played the full 90 minutes in the loss to Arsenal on 2 September, and the draw with Sunderland on 15 September, where he registered one assist and was named man of the match. On 19 September, Sterling was one of the group of teenagers that travelled to Switzerland to play Young Boys in a UEFA Europa League group match. He replaced Stewart Downing in the second half as Liverpool won 5–3. On 20 October, Sterling scored his first senior competitive goal for Liverpool in the 29th minute of a 1–0 league win against Reading with a strike from the edge of the box. As a result, he became the second-youngest player to score in a competitive fixture for Liverpool, behind only Michael Owen.
On 21 December 2012, Sterling signed a contract extension, committing his future to Liverpool. He scored his second league goal for the club on 2 January 2013, opening the scoring in a 3–0 win against Sunderland with a lob over goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
On 27 August 2013, Sterling scored his first goal of the 2013–14 season, the opening goal against Notts County in a 4–2 win in the League Cup. On 4 December, Sterling scored his first Premier League goal of the season for Liverpool in a 5–1 win over Norwich City. His form in December saw him score two further goals in wins against Tottenham Hotspur (5–0) and Cardiff City (3–1). On 8 February 2014, he scored twice in a 5–1 win against Arsenal at Anfield. On 13 April, he scored Liverpool's opening goal in a 3–2 win over Manchester City. A week later, he scored two goals and assisted another as Liverpool won 3–2 against Norwich City at Carrow Road.
On 18 April 2014, Sterling was named as one of the six players on the shortlist for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. He was named Liverpool Chartered Player of the Month for April. At the end of the season, he was named Liverpool's Young Player of the Year.
2014–2015: Final season with Liverpool
On 17 August 2014, Sterling scored to help Liverpool to win their opening match of the 2014–15 season, a 2–1 win at home to Southampton. On 31 August, Sterling scored the opening goal in a 3–0 league win against Tottenham at White Hart Lane and was named man of the match. Sterling was named the Liverpool Player of the Month for August.
On 16 September, Sterling made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 2–1 victory over Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad at Anfield. On 14 December 2014, he made his 100th appearance for Liverpool in a match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. On 17 December, Sterling scored a brace in a 3–1 victory over Bournemouth at Dean Court in the League Cup quarter-final.
On 20 December, Sterling was named as the recipient of the 2014 Golden Boy award. "It's down to hard work. I'm really happy that people are recognising that I'm trying to work hard and do my best for this football club. I'm really grateful for this award," he stated upon receiving the award. Sterling was officially excused from Liverpool's FA Cup match against AFC Wimbledon in January 2015, with manager Brendan Rodgers aiming to prevent the player becoming exhausted. He used the time off to holiday in Jamaica.
On 20 January 2015, Sterling scored a fine solo goal against Chelsea in a 1–1 draw in the League Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield, going past Nemanja Matić and Gary Cahill before beating Thibaut Courtois to find the net. On 31 January, Sterling scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win over West Ham United. On 4 February, Sterling scored the equaliser against Bolton Wanderers at the Macron Stadium in a 2–1 away win for Liverpool. On 22 February, he scored the second goal for Liverpool in a 2–0 win over Southampton.
On 13 April, Sterling opened the scoring in a 2–0 win over Newcastle United. He was named the team's Young Player of the Season on 19 May for the second consecutive year in a row, and when receiving the award was booed by fans due to his rejection of a new contract; he was also booed on 7 June, while playing for England in Dublin. On 16 April 2015, for the second consecutive year, he was named as one of the six players on the shortlist for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Contract dispute
On 9 February 2015, Brendan Rodgers said that Sterling had been offered "an incredible deal" to stay at Liverpool, rumoured to be a new contract worth £100,000 a week, but he also stated Liverpool were "certainly not a club that is going to give way, way above what a player is worth at a certain time in their career." However, on 20 March, Rodgers said Sterling's contract situation would not be resolved until the summer at least.
On 1 April, Sterling gave an unsanctioned interview with the BBC, where he confirmed he had turned down a new deal, but denied that this was for reasons of money. He had two years of a £35,000 per week contract remaining and said that he would not negotiate a new contract until the end of the season. Four days later, Brendan Rodgers criticised Sterling's advisors (Aidy Ward) for the interview, saying: "You are not a 20-year-old boy and you pick up the phone and ask to speak to the BBC. You don't do it. Him in particular. But, of course, if he is asked to do that by other parties then that is what he'll do."
On 21 May, amid rumours that Sterling intended to leave the club, his agent, Ward, gave an interview to the London Evening Standard saying: "I don't care about the PR of the club and the club situation... He is definitely not signing. He's not signing for £700, £800, £900 thousand a week."
On 11 June, Liverpool reportedly rejected an initial bid of £30 million from Manchester City. One week later, they reportedly rejected a second bid from City for £40 million, with Liverpool valuing Sterling at £50 million. Sterling reportedly later asked to be left out of Liverpool's preseason tour to Asia, and missed two days of training through illness, which was met with widespread criticism from former Liverpool players, including Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness.
Manchester City
2015–2016: Record breaking transfer and debut season
On 12 July 2015, a deal was agreed for his transfer to Manchester City for an initial £44 million, with a further potential £5 million in add-ons, subject to personal terms and a medical, which would make him the most expensive English player of all time. On 14 July, Sterling officially joined Manchester City, signing a five-year contract. His debut came on 10 August, starting as City began the season with a 3–0 win away to West Bromwich Albion. Nineteen days later, Sterling scored his first competitive goal for Manchester City in a 2–0 win against Watford at the City of Manchester Stadium. Sterling scored his first career hat-trick as City beat Bournemouth 5–1 on 17 October.
On 3 November, Sterling scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3–1 win away to Sevilla. On 8 December, he scored twice in the final ten minutes of City's last group stage fixture against Borussia Mönchengladbach, helping turn a 2–1 deficit into a 4–2 win and ensuring City overtook Juventus in the final group standings. On 20 March 2016, he suffered a groin injury in a 1–0 loss to rivals Manchester United, and was ruled out for eight weeks. Sterling eventually lost his place in the starting line-up.
2016–2018: Collective and individual success
Sterling appeared regularly for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola for the opening matches of the 2016–17 season. He was Premier League Player of the Month for August 2016 after he scored two goals and provided one assist in three games. On 21 February 2017, Sterling scored the opener before setting up a goal for Sergio Agüero in a 5–3 home win against Monaco in the Champions League.
On 26 August 2017, Sterling scored the winner in a 2–1 away win away to AFC Bournemouth in stoppage time. He was sent off by Mike Dean with a second yellow after he celebrated among travelling supporters that had run onto the pitch. On 29 November 2017, Sterling scored a 96th-minute winner against Southampton in a 2–1 home win. He scored his eighteenth and final league goal of the season during a 5–0 victory at Swansea City on 22 April 2018, his most ever at this point in his career.
2018–2019: Domestic treble with City
Following England's World Cup campaign, Sterling made an immediate return to the Manchester City starting line-up. On 12 August 2018, less than a month after starting in England's 2–0 loss against Belgium in the third place play-off, Sterling scored the opening goal in Manchester City's 2–0 away win against Arsenal. The strike was Sterling's 50th Premier League goal. On 4 November 2018, Sterling scored twice and made two assists in a 6–1 win against Southampton at home, scoring his 50th goal for Manchester City in all competitions in the process. In November 2018, he signed a three-year extension to keep him at City until 2023.
In December 2018, Sterling alleged that sections of the media served to "fuel racism" with their portrayal of young black footballers. The comments emerged after Sterling was subjected to alleged racist abuse during City's 2–0 defeat at Chelsea.
He began 2019 with a 2–1 win against Liverpool, where he assisted Leroy Sané's winning goal. On 6 January 2019, he scored a goal and assisted one in a 7–0 win against Rotherham, which booked their place in the fourth round. On 20 January 2019, he headed a goal to help City win 3–0 over Huddersfield Town. On 3 February 2019, he helped assist two of Sergio Agüero's goal to beat Arsenal 3–1, which helped City move 2 points behind Liverpool. On 10 February 2019, he scored two goals to beat Chelsea 6–0 at the Etihad. On 20 February 2019, in a first leg match of the Champions League against Schalke, he scored the winning goal in the 90th minute in a 3–2 win. In the EFL Cup Final on 24 February 2019, he scored the winning penalty in the penalty shootout to win the cup. The following month, he scored a hat-trick for the first time since 2015 within the space of 13 minutes – the fastest hat-trick of the season – to secure a 3–1 victory over Watford. He scored again in the return leg of Man City's Champions League clash with Schalke to help the club record a 7–0 (10–2) victory and equal the record for the largest winning margin in the knockout-phase of the competition. On 17 April 2019, Sterling scored two in Manchester City's 4–3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg; however, they were knocked out on away goals after losing 1–0 in the first leg. On 18 May 2019, Sterling scored twice as Manchester City defeated Watford 6–0 in the 2019 FA Cup Final to clinch a domestic treble.
In the 2018–19 season, he was named to the PFA Premier League Team of the Year and won the PFA Young Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year.
2019–2020: Thirty-goal season
In the 2019 FA Community Shield against Liverpool on 4 August, Sterling scored the opening goal of the match in an eventual 1–1 draw; Manchester City ultimately won the title 5–4 on penalties. In Manchester City's opening game of the 2019–20 Premier League, Sterling scored a second-half hat-trick – his third of the calendar year – in a 5–0 away win over West Ham, which put them top of the table on goal difference after one game. On 22 October 2019, Sterling scored his first UEFA Champions League hat-trick in a 5–1 win over Atalanta in the group stages of the 2019–20 season.
In February 2020, during an interview with Diario AS, Sterling was asked whether he would one day like to play for Real Madrid. In reply, Sterling explained that "No one knows what the future will hold. I am a player and I am always open to challenges but right now my challenge is at City and I'm really happy".
On 11 July 2020, Sterling scored his third hat-trick of the season in a 5–0 away thrashing of Brighton. He scored another three goals in the last three league games of the season, ending with a total of 20 goals, his best ever tally in the Premier League.
On 7 August 2020, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 home victory against Real Madrid, knocking them out of the Champions League in the Round of 16. It was his 100th goal for City in all competitions, becoming the first Englishman to reach this figure for the club since Dennis Tueart in 1981. On 15 August 2020, Manchester City lost 3–1 against Lyon in the Champions League quarter-finals, in which Sterling missed an open goal chance to level the score, as it was 2–1 for Lyon.
2020–2022: Final seasons
On 7 February 2021, Sterling scored a goal in a 4–1 away win over his former team Liverpool, to reach his 100th goal with Manchester City under Pep Guardiola in all competitions. On 29 May, he played in the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final, where Manchester City lost 1–0 against Chelsea.
Sterling scored his 100th Premier League goal, a penalty, scoring the only goal of the game in the 1–0 home win over Wolves on 11 December 2021. Sterling was later bestowed with the Premier League Player of the Month award for December 2021. With his goal in a 5–0 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg away win against Sporting CP, Sterling entered into the top ten of all-time Manchester City goalscorers.
Chelsea
On 13 July 2022, Sterling signed for Chelsea on a five-year contract for a fee of £47.5 million. On 6 August 2022, he made his club debut in a 1–0 away win against Everton. On 27 August 2022, Sterling scored his first goals for the club, a brace, in a 2–1 win over Leicester City.
On 25 August 2023, Sterling scored his first goal in the 2023–24 season and later scored a brace in the second half against Luton Town which ended in 3–0 win for Chelsea.
International career
Youth teams
Sterling was born in Jamaica and moved to England at a young age, and holds dual nationality. His international career coincided with the introduction of the "home nations agreement." It was not until September 2009 that FIFA agreed to the proposals by the English, Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh Football Associations to update the agreement, allowing players who were educated in their nation for five years or more to become eligible for their national team. Sterling first represented England at under-16 level in November 2009 in a match against Northern Ireland. When speaking of the possibility of playing for Jamaica, Sterling said, "When it comes to that decision, that is when I will decide, but if Jamaica calls for me, why not?"
Sterling was selected to play for England for the 2011 U-17 World Cup. He scored a long-range goal in England's opening 2–0 win against Rwanda in Pachuca. He also scored against Argentina in the second round in a match where England won 4–2 on penalties. In early October 2012 he was called up for the first time to the England under-21 squad and made his debut as a substitute during a match against Serbia on 16 October. He scored his first goal for England U21 on 13 August 2013, in a 6–0 win against Scotland.
Senior team
On 10 September 2012, Sterling was called up to the senior England squad for the first time for a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Ukraine, where he was an unused substitute.
Sterling made his senior debut for England on 14 November 2012, starting in a friendly away to Sweden. On 5 March 2014, Sterling earned his second cap and was named man of the match as England beat Denmark 1–0 in a friendly match at Wembley Stadium.
On 12 May 2014, Sterling was named in England's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In a pre-tournament friendly on 4 June, against Ecuador in Miami on his fourth cap, Sterling slid into Antonio Valencia, who reacted by grabbing Sterling's neck; both received red cards for their actions. Valencia later apologised for his reaction. On 14 June, Sterling started in England's opening group match, a 2–1 loss to Italy in Manaus, and was rated as the team's best performing player by the BBC.
On 27 March 2015, Sterling scored his first senior goal for England in a 4–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley Stadium. On 9 October 2015, Sterling scored his second goal of the qualifying campaign in a 2–0 victory against Estonia, by which point the team were already qualified. He was one of 23 players chosen for the final tournament.
He was named in the 23-man England national team squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
After a run of 27 games without a goal for England, Sterling scored twice in a UEFA Nations League group game against Spain on 15 October 2018. England went on to win the match 3–2.
Sterling scored his first hat-trick for England on 22 March 2019 in a 5–0 win over the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier.
In October 2019, Sterling scored a brace in a 6–0 defeat of Bulgaria. Sterling's first goal in the game meant that he equalled a record held jointly by Eric Brook and Francis Lee of the most England goals scored by a Manchester City player (10). Sterling's second goal in the game meant that he became the sole record holder in this respect (although his second goal in the game was his twelfth England goal overall, it was his eleventh as a Manchester City player).
In November 2019, Sterling was dropped from the England team after clashing with international teammate but club rival Joe Gomez.
On 13 June 2021, Sterling scored the only goal against Croatia to kick off England's UEFA Euro 2020 campaign with a winning start. On 22 June, he also scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over the Czech Republic to help England finish top of Group D. On 29 June, he scored the first goal against Germany in the round of 16. England won the game 2–0 and progressed to the quarter-finals. On 7 July, during England's semi-final game against Denmark, Sterling won a penalty in extra-time when the score was 1–1. He was accused of diving in this incident by ex-Liverpool/Manchester City player Dietmar Hamann and on social media. The penalty was saved, but the rebound was scored by Harry Kane, for England to progress to the final.
On 21 November 2022, Sterling scored England's third goal in the opening game for England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in a 6–2 win against Iran. On 4 December, Sterling left the England World Cup squad in Qatar to return to London after armed intruders broke into his home while his family were in. However, he returned to England's squad prior to the quarter-final match against France.
Style of play
Sterling plays as a winger, attacking midfielder or striker, though he is more comfortable as a natural winger. Sterling has been praised for his adaptability and ability to play wide, at the tip of a midfield diamond and centrally, offering flexibility. Known for his pace, low centre of gravity, and dribbling skills, Sterling has been compared to Alexis Sánchez by his former manager Brendan Rodgers. Rodgers has also praised him for offering a "real threat," his use of pace with composure and his maturity. Despite his small stature, he also possesses considerable upper-body strength, which aids him in withstanding challenges, and retaining possession.
Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi said in November 2014 that Sterling is good enough to play for the La Liga club, praising his physical and technical qualities. In April 2015, BBC Sport columnist Phil McNulty wrote that Sterling was "very good with the potential to be outstanding" but remained a "work in progress" due to inconsistent performances. He also wrote, "He is blessed with natural pace that makes even the best defences and defenders take a step back."
Personal life
In 2013, citing the influence of his mother, Sterling was quoted as saying he was "not 100 per cent religious but my belief is strong. When the time is right, I will fully be Christian." He added that he put his faith in God and that he prays regularly. He has one daughter, Melody Rose, born in 2012 after a brief relationship. His middle-name Shaquille comes from his grandmother, who was living in America at the time and wanted to name him after Shaquille O'Neal.
On 8 August 2013, Sterling was arrested for an alleged common assault on his former girlfriend, a model. He was found not guilty at Liverpool Magistrates Court on 20 September, when the complainant was unable to offer consistent evidence. A few months earlier, on 20 May 2013, a charge of common assault on a different woman was dropped after a witness failed to attend court.
In April 2015, Sterling was photographed by the Sunday Mirror allegedly smoking a shisha pipe, and by The Sun allegedly inhaling nitrous oxide for recreational purposes. Manager Brendan Rodgers said, "I don't think it is something you should be doing, it's as simple as that...Young players make mistakes. As long as they learn from them, that is what is important."
In June 2017, following the Grenfell Tower fire in which 71 people died, Sterling made a "substantial" donation to those affected by the fire.
On 16 December 2017, Sterling was attacked outside Manchester City's training ground by a man who used racist language towards him. Four days later, 29-year-old Karl Anderson, a convicted football hooligan, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated common assault and was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison and a £100 fine. The Guardian praised Sterling's resilience and courage in deciding to play only four hours afterwards.
Sterling has an M16 rifle tattooed on his leg for which he received criticism from anti-violence groups; in response Sterling said that the tattoo had deeper meaning and referred to his father who was killed when Sterling was two years old. There has been criticism of how the British tabloid media, such as The Sun, cover and treat Sterling with articles being deemed unfair and racist by pundits including Ian Wright.
Sterling has been named as one of the 100 most influential Black Britons, with his inclusion in the annual Powerlist in both the 2020 and 2021 editions.
Sterling was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to racial equality in sport.
In November 2021, Sterling launched his own charitable foundation at the Ark Elvin Academy, his former school. The Raheem Sterling Foundation will 'educate, empower and inspire young people to become better prepared for the future and to embrace opportunities to achieve greater social mobility.' Speaking at the launch, Sterling said: "My foundation is built on my experiences, successes and the many challenges I overcame, I now want to help young people achieve and be the best they can be.”
Sterling lives in a £6 million gated property in Oxshott, Surrey. During the Qatar World Cup Sterling's house was burgled. This was discovered by his fiancée and children when they returned from being with him in Qatar. As a result of the burglary, Sterling flew home, while the FIFA World Cup was still underway. He later re-joined the team for training.
Career statistics
Club
International
England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Sterling goal
Honours
Manchester City
Premier League: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22
FA Cup: 2018–19
Football League/EFL Cup: 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21
FA Community Shield: 2019
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2020–21
England
UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2020
UEFA Nations League third place: 2018–19
Individual
Liverpool Young Player of the Season: 2013–14, 2014–15
Golden Boy: 2014
UEFA Champions League Team of the Group Stage: 2015–16
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2018–19, 2019–20
Premier League Player of the Month: August 2016, November 2018, December 2021
PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19 Premier League
PFA Young Player of the Year: 2018–19
FWA Footballer of the Year: 2018–19
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2020
Orders
Member of the Order of the British Empire: 2021
References
External links
Profile at the Chelsea F.C. website
Profile at the Football Association website
1994 births
Living people
Footballers from Kingston, Jamaica
Footballers from Wembley
English men's footballers
Men's association football wingers
Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
Liverpool F.C. players
Manchester City F.C. players
Chelsea F.C. players
Premier League players
England men's youth international footballers
England men's under-21 international footballers
England men's international footballers
2014 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2016 players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2020 players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Golden Boy winners
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Black British sportsmen
English people of Jamaican descent
Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom
English Christians
People acquitted of assault
English victims of crime
British anti-racism activists