12 Interesting Facts About Raheem Sterling's Rise to Glory in Football
- Think Football Ideas
- Oct 5, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 10
Full Name: Raheem Shaquille Sterling
Date of Birth: 8 December 1994
Place of Birth: Kingston, Jamaica
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.72 m)
Position: Forward / Winger
Some careers spring into view. Others are forged, slowly, stubbornly, and against the wind. Raheem Sterling belongs to the latter. Long before the medals, before the roaring stadiums and floodlights, there was simply a boy chasing a ball through the streets, carrying both grief and promise in equal measure.
His story has never really been about comfort. It has been about movement across oceans, through expectations, and beyond doubt.
And even now, as one chapter quietly closes following his departure from Chelsea, the club choosing to pay off the remainder of his deal rather than carry a contract reportedly worth over £20 million, Sterling’s journey feels less like it is ending and more like it is turning another page. Because players like him rarely stand still. Let’s walk through the moments that shaped him.
12 Raheem Sterling Facts From Humble Beginnings to Football Stardom, Unveiling the Childhood, Career and Life Story
1. Born Where Football Never Sleeps
Raheem Sterling’s story begins in Kingston, Jamaica, a place where football is less a pastime and more a rhythm of life. Born on December 8, 1994, he spent his earliest years in Maverley, a community bursting with energy and raw sporting culture.
It was the kind of environment that toughens you early, the kind that teaches you how to move quickly, with the ball and without it.
But childhood did not linger long. At just two years old, Sterling lost his father to gun violence. It is the sort of tragedy that either fractures a life or quietly reshapes it. For Sterling, it became an unspoken fuel.
Years later, he would explain the tattoo of a rifle on his leg, not as glorification, but as a promise. He would never touch a gun. His right foot, the one that strikes footballs cleanly toward goal, would always mean something deeper.
In a poignant Instagram post back in 2018, he shared: "When I was 2, my father died from being gunned down. I made a promise to myself that I would never touch a gun in my lifetime. I shoot with my right foot, so it has a deeper meaning and is still unfinished."
2. The Move That Changed Everything
At five, Sterling and his mother left Jamaica for London, settling in Neasden. It was not the glamour they arrived at. It was an opportunity.
Raised largely by the steady determination of his mother, he attended Copland School in Wembley, where teachers quickly noticed the blur of speed that classmates simply could not catch.
There is always a moment in a young athlete’s life when talent stops being a hobby and starts becoming a direction. London gave him that runway. From there, the dream gathered pace.
3. Noticed Early, Very Early
Queens Park Rangers spotted him first. Academies are full of hopeful boys, but every so often, one moves differently. Coaches notice it immediately, the balance, the acceleration, the fearless instinct to run at defenders rather than away from them.
Liverpool soon came calling, and with that, the path sharpened. You could sense even then that Sterling was not merely passing through youth football. He was preparing to outgrow it.
4. A Teenager at Anfield
Fifteen years old. That is when Liverpool handed him a senior debut. Most players that age are still learning how to carry themselves in a dressing room. Sterling played as though he had been waiting years.
There was electricity in his running and a composure that felt borrowed from someone older. Defenders hesitated, never a good sign when facing a teenager. The Premier League had been introduced to something restless.
5. England Calling
International football tends to reveal whether a player belongs among the elite or merely brushes against it. Sterling did not brush, he stayed.
World Cups, European Championships, pressure-heavy nights wrapped in national expectation, and he grew into all of it.
For England, he became more than a winger; he became momentum, often dragging matches forward when they threatened to stall. Bright stars are admired. Reliable ones are trusted. Sterling became both.
6. Manchester City, Where Potential Became Power
His 2015 move to Manchester City raised eyebrows and emptied wallets - £49 million was, at the time, a record for an English player. But fees age quickly when performances justify them.
Under Manuel Pellegrini and later Pep Guardiola, Sterling evolved. His movement sharpened, his finishing matured, and his understanding of space became almost surgical.
Alongside Agüero, Sané, and a relentlessly creative midfield, he helped construct one of England’s most dominant domestic eras. Trophies followed. League titles, cups, and silverware that clinked with familiarity.
Yet what truly changed was perception. He was no longer the promising youngster. He was inevitable.
7. More Than a Footballer
Some players speak. Others shift conversations. Sterling has never shied away from confronting racism in football, using his platform not for applause but for progress.
In 2021, he launched a foundation at his former school, a quiet return to where the road truly began. Then came another gesture - donating millions in equipment to the Maverley Football Club back in Jamaica. Success had not erased his memory of home. If anything, it strengthened the connection.
8. Chelsea FC
When Chelsea signed him in 2022, he became the first arrival of a new ownership era, a statement transfer meant to anchor a changing squad.
There were flashes, important goals, and milestones along the way. One notable moment saw him become the first player to score both home and away against Manchester City after once wearing their shirt.
But football moves quickly, and projects evolve even faster. During the January window, Chelsea chose closure. Sterling was paid off, the club trimming a financial commitment that could have surpassed £20 million over the remaining 18 months of his contract.
No dramatic farewell. No lingering theatre. Just the understated end to a chapter that, while not unsuccessful, never quite caught full fire.
9. Records, Goals, and Early Greatness
He became one of the youngest scorers in Premier League history at just 17 years and 317 days, finishing a move created by Luis Suárez at Anfield. It felt, even then, like a preview.
Over the years came Player of the Month awards, PFA honours, and a stream of decisive contributions. Later milestones, including featuring in the Champions League for four English clubs and climbing the charts for goal involvements, only reinforced what had long been evident.
Sterling was never passing through the top level. He was leaving footprints.
10. Influential Voice Against Racism
Sterling has been a prominent advocate for combating racism in football. His willingness to speak out against racial discrimination and inequality has made a significant impact, sparking important conversations and driving positive change in the football world.
11. The Penalty Magnet
Won Penalties Maestro In the Premier League era, Raheem Sterling remains unrivalled as the player who has won the highest number of penalties.
His 26th earned penalty in his career proved crucial as Chelsea secured a 1-0 victory over Fulham, with Cole Palmer successfully converting from the spot.
12. A European Milestone That Spoke of Longevity
On September 19, 2024, Raheem Sterling quietly stepped into another slice of history. Introduced from the bench during Arsenal’s stalemate with Atalanta, he became the first footballer to appear in the Champions League for four different English clubs, a testament not just to longevity, but to relevance at the highest level.
Months later, on March 12, 2025, he was at it again. Two finely weighted assists against PSV nudged him further up an elite list, lifting him to fourth among English players with the most goal involvements in the competition.
Only David Beckham (52), Harry Kane (50), and Wayne Rooney (47) now stand ahead, while Frank Lampard’s 44 sit just behind him, another reminder that Sterling’s European imprint has been anything but fleeting.
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