Little known fact: Raheem Sterling‘s nickname at Queens Park Rangers was once… Raheem Park Rangers.
Why? Because he won football matches on his own. The moniker was coined by his then youth coach Steve Gallen, who had no doubts about what Sterling would go on to achieve.
More than a decade later and very little has changed. Sterling, 26, continues to win matches — but now he is doing it on the biggest stage of all.
Raheem Sterling (L) has become the attacking heartbeat of Gareth Southgate’s England team
He scored his third goal in four games at Euro 2020, opening the scoring against Germany
England’s star of the tournament so far? There’s very little doubt about that.
With three goals in four matches, Sterling’s international career has turned around since those depressing days of Euro 2016. The scapegoat for England’s woeful failure five years ago, he left France with an altogether different nickname. ‘The hated one’.
Well, you’re certainly not hated any more, Raheem. He is the toast of a nation and the attacking heartbeat of Gareth Southgate’s team. Sterling is now English football’s darling.
Whether his new-found status sits comfortably with the player himself is a different question. A huge advocate for racial equality, Sterling has been subjected to sickening prejudice throughout his career.
The Manchester City winger was the scapegoat for England’s woeful Euro failure five years ago
Almost daily, he would receive racist abuse on his social media. Now, those who have booed Sterling and his team-mates for taking the knee are the same ones lauding him.
The irony of that won’t have been lost on Sterling, who grew up in the Maverley area of Jamaica before moving to England as a five-year-old.
Indeed, Jamaica tried on many occasions to tempt Sterling to play for the country of his birth. England are lucky to have him, not the other way around. Not only for his magnificence on the pitch — but for his heroism and courage off it.
‘I’m not fussed about having this million and that million. What will make me happy is seeing I am able to help,’ said Sterling last year as he announced plans to launch a foundation for disadvantaged children.
‘Even if it’s five people, even if it’s one, at least I have helped someone come out of their bubble and experience that there is something better to England.’
Sterling is English football’s darling and England are lucky to have him, not other way around
Certainly, the England team are so much better with Sterling on the field. Fifteen goals in his last 20 caps tell their own story.
Harry Kane is widely regarded as England’s most important player; the performances and statistics paint a different picture. Not that either forward would care, of course.
At the final whistle which signalled Tuesday’s momentous win over Germany, Sterling’s immediate reaction was to look for Kane and vice versa.
Yet Sterling, who grew up in the London borough of Brent, a stone’s throw from Wembley, is the undisputed champion of England’s tournament so far.
‘He is a fighter, he has got an incredible resilience and hunger,’ said Southgate.
‘He has developed over the last couple of years this real hunger to score. Even in games earlier in the tournament where the ball flashed across the box, he has been in between the posts.
Motivation has never really been an issue for Sterling. Even during his time at Liverpool he would effectively put himself under ‘house arrest’ 72 hours before matches
‘He is finding himself in these areas and, yes, his drive is fantastic. We know the journey he has been on with England and I am so happy for him to deliver the performances he has.
‘To deliver them at Wembley will have been really special for him. The goal return is incredible. Absolutely incredible, really. So, please, keep asking the questions (about if he’s good enough) because if we cannot motivate him everyone else will certainly be able to.’
Motivation has never really been an issue for Sterling, though. The perception that he has only started to knuckle down in recent years is a myth.
Even during his time at Liverpool he would put himself under ‘house arrest’ 72 hours before matches. He moved from the city centre in his penultimate season at Anfield to rid his life of unnecessary distractions.
At Manchester City the trophies have flowed, yet he lost his place in the side at the back end of last season as Pep Guardiola went for quicker passers of the ball and fewer dribblers. Sterling may be in and out for City, but for England he is indispensible.
Sterling scored the only goal of the game as England beat Croatia in their first group match
He then scored the winner against the Czech Republic to ensure England topped their group
It is fair to say Guardiola has had a positive influence on Sterling’s career, though. Sterling’s improvement since the Spaniard’s arrival at the Etihad Stadium has been profound.
But we should be careful not to heap too much credit on Guardiola when it comes to Sterling’s development. That should go to the player himself. He was always destined to hit the heights because of his drive.
His path to the top could have been different. The Boy from Brent, as he signs off Twitter posts, snubbed a move to Arsenal in favour of QPR as a 10-year-old.
It is a little known fact that Swansea came close to signing Sterling during Brendan Rodgers’ reign at Liverpool.
Speaking to Sportsmail in 2014, grassroots coach Clive Ellington — the man who spotted and nurtured Sterling’s talents at Roe Green Park in Brent — said: ‘He was miles apart from the other kids and that was without any coaching.
Sterling’s son Thiago celebrates in the crowd at Wembley as England overcame Germany
Sterling was reunited with his son after scoring in England’s 2-0 memorable last-16 victory
‘We were just stood there in your everyday London park and this nine-year-old kid was taking on 16-year-olds.
‘At nine he was kicking a football harder than an adult. He was a sponge, he soaked everything up — he wanted to learn.
‘He was a natural with both feet, which was something you didn’t see in other kids.’
The Boy from Brent has come a long way since then.