Players - Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling
Birthdate: 8 December 1994
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Nationality: England
Other clubs: Manchester City (2015-22), Chelsea (2022-)
Signed from: Queens Park Rangers (youth)
Signed for LFC: £500,000, 27.02.2010
International debut: 14.11.2012 vs. Sweden
International caps: 82/20 (16/1 at LFC) - 10.12.2022
Liverpool debut: 24.03.2012
Last appearance: 16.05.2015
Debut goal: 20.10.2012
Last goal: 13.04.2015
Contract expiry: 14.07.2015
Win ratio: 50.39% W:65 D:27 L:37
Games/goals ratio: 5.61
Games/assists ratio: 7.59
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 22 / 3
League games / goals / assists: 95 / 18 / 14
Total games / goals / assists: 129 / 23 / 17

Player Profile

Sterling joined Liverpool as a 15-year-old from the youth set-up at Queens Park Rangers on 27 February 2010. His family moved from Jamaica when he was seven. Sterling had been featuring regularly for Rangers' u-18 team at that time as well as the reserves. There is a tendency to exaggerate the potential of young promising players like Sterling and the hype machine certainly went into full swing when he scored five goals for Liverpool's youth side in a 9-0 FA Cup win over Southend in February 2011. Following his performance he was included in the club's senior squad who travelled to Prague ahead of their Europa League contest on 17 February 2011. Sterling, who had to have a guardian following him to Prague as he was so young, ultimately didn't make the bench but the experience must have been valuable. Finally, after much speculation, he made his Liverpool first-team debut when he came on as a late substitute against Wigan Athletic at Anfield towards the end of a 2-1 Premier League defeat on 24 March 2012. Two more substitute appearances followed in the end-of-season matches against the west London clubs Fulham and Chelsea.

Since Brendan Rodgers took over as boss at Liverpool Sterling became a vital player in the starting line-up and his rapid progress earned him a call-up to the England u-21's In October and on 14 November 2012, at 17 years and 332 days, he became the fifth-youngest England player when making his debut against Sweden in Stockholm. Sterling signed a new and long-term five-year contract with Liverpool just before Christmas 2012. Sterling appeared in thirty-six of the club's fifty-four competitive matches in 2012/13. But the majority of those came before New Year and he wasn't used so frequently in the second half of the season, partly because he had a thigh injury but possibly also through loss of form and confidence and maybe because he had a court case hanging over him for a matter which was eventually dropped when a witness failed to turn up in court. The winger probably felt that appearing in over 60% of the Premier League fixtures marked considerable progress in his professional career. But his form fluctuated and he only scored twice, in home matches against Reading and Sunderland. Passing his 18th birthday midway through the season, this young man still has a lot to prove despite his recognition at international level.

Sterling had a wonderful 2013/14 season, immediately after which he was named as part of England's squad for the World Cup finals in Brazil along with his teammates Glen Johnson, Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge. Still several months short of his 20th birthday when the season ended, this young man really came of age in a footballing sense by appearing in nearly 90% of Liverpool's competitive matches during the season. But apart from becoming a regular in the first team, he started to become a real asset as a goal-taker in addition to being a goal-maker. Ten goals scored was a massive improvement on the two he had scored in 2012/13, especially as he only played in two matches less in that previous season. His dribbling ability and the way he ran at defenders and refused to be knocked off the ball was a constant threat to opponents as he finally began to fulfil the success that had been predicted for him when he was a youngster at Queens Park Rangers. Sterling was nominated for the Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year award which was ultimately won by Chelsea's Eden Hazard. But at LFC's own Players' Awards evening, held in the final week of the season, Sterling deservedly took the Young Player award in recognition of the enormous progress he had made during the previous twelve months.

World Cup 2014: Still a few months short of his 20th birthday Sterling was a member of the England squad in Brazil and played throughout the opening group match against Italy in Manaus. He started again against Uruguay four days later but was replaced by Ross Barkley after twenty minutes of the second half. He again came on as a substitute in the final group match against Costa Rica, this time for Adam Lallana. On the field Sterling continued to make good progress in 2014/15. Fifty-two appearances for his club in all competitions was easily the highest of his career so far and eleven goals was one more than his total for the previous season. It was off the field that the problems arose. Under contract at his club until the end of June 2017 he turned down a new contract which would have made him a very wealthy young man indeed, bringing in £100,000-a-week. Inevitably this led to a backlash against him by some supporters and he was even heckled as he went up to receive the club's Young Player of the Season award.

All hell broke loose when his agent Aidy Ward told the London Evening Standard that his most precious client wouldn't sign a new deal no matter what: "I don’t care about the PR of the club and the club situation. I don’t care. He is definitely not signing. He’s not signing for £700,000, £800,000 or £900,000 a week." Manchester City's interest in Sterling was well documented and finally their third bid for was accepted which could total a whopping £49m (made up of £44m plus £5m in potential add-ons) making him the most expensive English footballer in history having topped Andy Carroll’s £35m move from Newcastle to Liverpool in 2011. Queens Park Rangers, who sold Sterling for £50000 in 2010, will net £9.8m as part of a 20 per cent sell-on clause they agreed with Liverpool when he was initially purchased. Sterling also became Manchester City’s record signing and the third most expensive player bought made by a Premier League club after Angel Di Maria and Fernando Torres. There is no doubt that Sterling was greatly overvalued at this enormous price but City were arguably getting the most exciting young talent in the country. His statistics for the 2015-16 season were respectable at first glance, scoring six goals in 31 Premiership games. However they were all at home and against sides in the lower reaches of the table and there were few who thought he had done anything to justify the fee.

In the following two seasons Sterling grew at City, scoring eighteen goals in 2017-18 as they romped to the Premier League title. He was in England's World Cup squad and signed a contract extension in November 2018, keeping him at the club until 2023. During 2018-19 Sterling how why City were so keen to prise him away from Anfield, picking up the Football Writers player of the year and also earning many plaudits for his stance against racism. He also picked up his fiftieth England cap in the UEFA Nations League in 2019. During 2019/20,Sterling scored twenty league goals, his best tally for City. He scored his 100th City goal in a 4-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on 7th February 2021, ending that season with another Premier League winners medal. During that years Queen's Birthday Honours he was awarded the M.B.E for services to racial equality in sport. In 2021/22 Sterling made 23 Premier League starts and with just a year on his contract and the arrival of Erling Haaland potentially reducing his game time further, a £50 million fee was agreed for him to move to Chelsea.  
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 95 9 7 18 0 129
2011-2012 3 0 0 0 0 3
2012-2013 24 1 1 10 0 36
2013-2014 33 3 2 0 0 38
2014-2015 35 5 4 8 0 52
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
8 667 Chelsea
7 418 Manchester United
6 397 Aston Villa
6 355 Swansea City
5 450 Arsenal
5 439 Manchester City
5 432 West Ham United
5 366 Newcastle United
5 347 Southampton
5 332 Stoke City
5 265 Sunderland
4 352 Everton
4 349 Tottenham
4 348 Crystal Palace
4 322 Hull City
4 300 WBA
4 291 Norwich City
3 270 QPR
3 115 Fulham
2 180 Burnley
2 180 Basel
2 180 Bolton Wanderers
2 180 Leicester City
2 180 Blackburn Rovers
2 172 Ludogorets
2 162 Oldham Athletic
2 133 Besiktas
2 118 Hearts
2 112 Cardiff City
2 111 Real Madrid
2 96 Bournemouth
2 95 Wigan Athletic
2 84 Zenit St. Petersburg
2 30 Udinese
2 28 Young Boys
1 120 Middlesbrough
1 120 Notts County
1 84 Reading
1 67 Gomel
1 44 Anzhi Makhachkala
Total Started/substitutions
98 Started
13 On the bench
31 Substitute
25 Substituted
Total Venue
67 Home
62 Away
Total Competition
95 Premier League
12 Europa League
9 FA Cup
7 League Cup
6 Champions League
Total W D L Win % Manager
126 64 27 35 50.8% Brendan Rodgers
3 1 0 2 33.3% Kenny Dalglish
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 18 1 4 0 0 23
2011-2012 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012-2013 2 0 0 0 0 2
2013-2014 9 0 1 0 0 10
2014-2015 7 1 3 0 0 11
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 14 2 0 1 0 17
2011-2012 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012-2013 2 0 0 0 0 2
2013-2014 5 1 0 0 0 6
2014-2015 7 1 0 1 0 9
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 24.03.2012 Wigan Athletic Anfield League
50 04.12.2013 Norwich City Anfield League
100 14.12.2014 Manchester United Old Trafford League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 29 20.10.2012 Reading Anfield League
Related Articles
I've left my bad boy ways behind me

By PAUL COLLINS at the Daily Mail on 28 March 2014.

From school struggles to a class of his own

By Ben Smith BBC Sport on 14 November 2012.

Raheem Sterling can be Liverpool star, says England youth coach

By Phil McNulty at BBC Sport on 13 July 2012.

Sterling: Dr Steve is brilliant for me

Apr 30, 2014 07:56 By James Pearce for Liverpool Echo.

How Brendan Rodgers has turned Liverpool’s league fortunes around

By Tony Barrett for the Times on 10 February 2014.

I get kicked a lot

From Daily Mail on 21 January 2013.

Related Quotes

"We always knew he was good. He had many nicknames when he played for us. One of them was simply "The Magician". Another was "Raheem Park Rangers" because sometimes he would carry the team on his own. I moved him up to the Under 16s when he was 14 and he was the best player on the pitch. He came on as a sub against Millwall and there was this long ball from the goalkeeper. He watched it drop over his shoulder and volleyed it straight into the top corner. I was glad no scouts were there that day. This became normal. His ability is frightening. Balance, speed, awareness. No-one I've ever seen compares to him. He's a fantastic player and I really hope he does well. He had a tough upbringing in an area with its distractions and maybe that will help his mentality."

Steve Gallen, QPR's head of youth development, praises Raheem Sterling

“In this country we pay them to fail. We don’t want to give them the contracts. I had the situation last year with Raheem. He was brilliant the first six months. I was hanging off [giving him a new contract] because I know the consequence. You are 17 or 18, you are handed that contract, and you think you don’t have to work any more. It’s only natural as a human being – you just cruise, and before you know it, he didn’t play as much in the second half of the season.”

Brendan Rodgers on 26 January 2014 on how he managed Raheem Sterling

Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Manchester City 2015-2016 Premier League 31 6 47 11
Manchester City 2016-2017 Premier League 33 7 47 10
Manchester City 2017-2018 Premier League 33 18 47 22
Manchester City 2018-2019 Premier League 34 17 51 23
Manchester City 2019-2020 Premier League 33 20 52 31
Manchester City 2020-2021 Premier League 31 10 50 14
Manchester City 2021-2022 Premier League 30 13 47 17
Chelsea 2022-2023 Premier League 28 6 38 9
Total 253 97 379 137