Sterling Raheem
Raheem Shaquille Sterling is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for the England national team. Born in Jamaica, Sterling moved to London at the age of five and began his career at Queens Park Rangers before signing for Liverpool in 2010. 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. He then went on to help Manchester City win back-to-back Premier League titles in the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons. 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 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups and UEFA Euro 2016.
Did you Know?
This shirt was worn by Raheem Sterling during the Uefa Nations League’s game between England and Croatia which took place in London, “Wembley Stadium”, on November 18th 2018. England defeated Croatia 2-1. The shirt was swapped by Sterling with a Croatian player whom we got it from. 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.[114] 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.[119] 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 November 2019 Sterling was dropped from the England team after clashing with international teammate but club rival Joe Gomez.
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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.” 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 turn up to 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. In 2020, Sterling purchased a VVS gold name pendant for his two sons, Thai and Thiago. The jewelry which is estimated to cost $30,000, was designed by British-Nigerian designer and Jeweler, Godson Umeh. Sterling has an M16 rifle tattooed on his leg. He received criticism from anti-violence groups but said that the tattoo had deeper meaning and referred to his father who was killed when Sterling was two years old. He has been named as one of the most influential Black Britons, with his inclusion in the annual Powerlist. How the British tabloid media, like The Sun, cover and treat him has been deemed unfair and racist by pundits including Ian Wright. In 2012, Sterling signed a sponsorship deal with American sportswear and equipment supplier, Nike. He appeared in an advertisement for the new Nike Green Speed II alongside Mario Götze, Theo Walcott, Eden Hazard, Christian Eriksen and Stephan El Shaarawy in November 2012. In January 2013, he modelled the new Nike Mercurial Vapor IX.
Did you Know?
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.”
Things to Know:
This pair of Nike Mercurial Vapor 11’s were worn by Raheem Sterling during the 2016-17 season, in both the Premier League and Champions League. This was his second season at Manchester City, since then he has improved more and more with every season, becoming their most important player. In the 2016-17 season Raheem scored 10 goals and made 20 assists in 47 matches. This particular pair of match worn boots are even more unique due to the fact that they are from Nike’s “Elite Pack”, which they selected only the very best young players in Europe to wear. The list of players included the likes of Neymar, De Bruyne and Hazard. This pair were hand made to Sterling’s exact specifications in Nike’s famous Montebelluna factory in Italy. The Montebelluna logo is visible on the left insole, however this is faded due to Sterling using the boots. His ID number is written inside. This pair feature a modified upper, differing to the retail version of the standard Mercurial Vapor 11. The upper on this pair is more reminiscent of the previous model, the Vapor X – much softer in comparison to retail. This pair do not have the clear plastic rim around the edge of that you see on the retail versions, as well as having a smaller toe box and the overall shape being much more narrow.