Tony Barrett
Last updated at 12:01AM, November 22 2014
For Raheem Sterling, there have been countless moments over the past two years when the reality of his journey from promising youngster to genuine superstar has dawned. As he sat in the Tom Saunders lecture theatre at Liverpool’s academy this week, another arrived.
Looking up at a piece of artwork featuring shirts belonging to the club’s most illustrious graduates, the teenager spotted his own, in between those made famous by Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler. “What’s that doing up there?” he asked, unwittingly revealing his surprise at how far he has come in such a short time.
That Sterling’s sense of wonder remains even after the most testing period of his career is in itself a testament to his youth. Already, though, the halcyon days of last season, when he helped to inspire Liverpool’s strongest title challenge since before he was born and went on to become the only England player to return from the World Cup with as much credit as he arrived with, seem a lifetime ago.
The trappings of fame, the relentless spotlight it brings and the pressure of carrying the hopes of club and country have taken a heavy toll.
At just 19, it seems as if Sterling has already seen it all: the highs, the lows and everything in between. The carefree days have gone, perhaps never to return. If he didn’t know that already, reality of a much harsher kind dawned last month after Roy Hodgson revealed that the winger had not been chosen for England’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Estonia because he had complained of fatigue. What followed was a case study in overreaction as Sterling found himself at the heart of a week-long storm featuring everything from national newspaper front pages to the opprobrium of former England internationals. Not surprisingly, a different person has emerged.
“It was pretty difficult,” he admitted. “I tried to not really watch TV much or listen to things. If I saw on TV that a conversation was about me, then I would turn over and not listen and try and play it down. It was different. It was the first time I had to deal with anything like that. It was different, as I say, but I felt I dealt with it really well. I didn’t read too much into it.
“The main thing I have learnt is to just shut off. I was always on my phone and Instagram — stuff like that — and things would just pop up and you could not go past it without having a look, but now I have learnt to block it all out and not read what is said about you and just do my best for Liverpool and England. I just don’t look at it at all. Obviously you see it, but the focus is on club and country.”
Probably born of diplomacy rather than an actual need for contrition, Sterling says he is “sorry if anything was taken the wrong way” but sets the record straight by insisting that he “loves playing for club and country”, adding that “it doesn’t matter where it is, I am happy to play football”. An even more telling comment emerges when asked to pinpoint the most significant lesson he has learnt since making the breakthrough. “My slight weakness was that I was not leading the lifestyle I should have been off the pitch – ie, not resting when I should have been, stuff like that,” he says. “That is something I have brought in with maturity, having that rest period I should have.”
Sitting alongside his protégé, Brendan Rodgers nods in agreement. “It is incredible to think as he sits there now he is just 19 years of age and carries all those hopes on his shoulders for his country and club,” the Liverpool manager says. “I have seen since I first came in here and he was a 17-year-old boy, he is definitely growing into a young man, how he has handled himself coming through a great education system here, preparing himself. Sometimes you never know fully until you are here and he is gaining experience all the time. This last period has been difficult for everyone, but he has handled it really well. It is something I now expect from him, because he has matured a lot in these last couple of years.”
There is more maturing to come, of course, and with talks over a new contract progressing, Sterling hopes that it takes place at Liverpool. “I am happy to be here for as long as possible, like the big names that are on that wall,” he says. “I am just happy to play football at this football club for many years to come. The club has spoken to my representatives and hopefully something can be done really soon.”
Liverpool hope so, too, particularly as Sterling has already become a role model in his own right, one whose exploits the academy’s latest batch of promising youngsters dream of emulating, so that their shirt can one day go up alongside his.
•Raheem Sterling was speaking at the Liverpool FC academy day, a bid to inspire young players and foster a one-club mentality
Last updated at 12:01AM, November 22 2014
For Raheem Sterling, there have been countless moments over the past two years when the reality of his journey from promising youngster to genuine superstar has dawned. As he sat in the Tom Saunders lecture theatre at Liverpool’s academy this week, another arrived.
Looking up at a piece of artwork featuring shirts belonging to the club’s most illustrious graduates, the teenager spotted his own, in between those made famous by Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler. “What’s that doing up there?” he asked, unwittingly revealing his surprise at how far he has come in such a short time.
That Sterling’s sense of wonder remains even after the most testing period of his career is in itself a testament to his youth. Already, though, the halcyon days of last season, when he helped to inspire Liverpool’s strongest title challenge since before he was born and went on to become the only England player to return from the World Cup with as much credit as he arrived with, seem a lifetime ago.
The trappings of fame, the relentless spotlight it brings and the pressure of carrying the hopes of club and country have taken a heavy toll.
At just 19, it seems as if Sterling has already seen it all: the highs, the lows and everything in between. The carefree days have gone, perhaps never to return. If he didn’t know that already, reality of a much harsher kind dawned last month after Roy Hodgson revealed that the winger had not been chosen for England’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Estonia because he had complained of fatigue. What followed was a case study in overreaction as Sterling found himself at the heart of a week-long storm featuring everything from national newspaper front pages to the opprobrium of former England internationals. Not surprisingly, a different person has emerged.
“It was pretty difficult,” he admitted. “I tried to not really watch TV much or listen to things. If I saw on TV that a conversation was about me, then I would turn over and not listen and try and play it down. It was different. It was the first time I had to deal with anything like that. It was different, as I say, but I felt I dealt with it really well. I didn’t read too much into it.
“The main thing I have learnt is to just shut off. I was always on my phone and Instagram — stuff like that — and things would just pop up and you could not go past it without having a look, but now I have learnt to block it all out and not read what is said about you and just do my best for Liverpool and England. I just don’t look at it at all. Obviously you see it, but the focus is on club and country.”
Probably born of diplomacy rather than an actual need for contrition, Sterling says he is “sorry if anything was taken the wrong way” but sets the record straight by insisting that he “loves playing for club and country”, adding that “it doesn’t matter where it is, I am happy to play football”. An even more telling comment emerges when asked to pinpoint the most significant lesson he has learnt since making the breakthrough. “My slight weakness was that I was not leading the lifestyle I should have been off the pitch – ie, not resting when I should have been, stuff like that,” he says. “That is something I have brought in with maturity, having that rest period I should have.”
Sitting alongside his protégé, Brendan Rodgers nods in agreement. “It is incredible to think as he sits there now he is just 19 years of age and carries all those hopes on his shoulders for his country and club,” the Liverpool manager says. “I have seen since I first came in here and he was a 17-year-old boy, he is definitely growing into a young man, how he has handled himself coming through a great education system here, preparing himself. Sometimes you never know fully until you are here and he is gaining experience all the time. This last period has been difficult for everyone, but he has handled it really well. It is something I now expect from him, because he has matured a lot in these last couple of years.”
There is more maturing to come, of course, and with talks over a new contract progressing, Sterling hopes that it takes place at Liverpool. “I am happy to be here for as long as possible, like the big names that are on that wall,” he says. “I am just happy to play football at this football club for many years to come. The club has spoken to my representatives and hopefully something can be done really soon.”
Liverpool hope so, too, particularly as Sterling has already become a role model in his own right, one whose exploits the academy’s latest batch of promising youngsters dream of emulating, so that their shirt can one day go up alongside his.
•Raheem Sterling was speaking at the Liverpool FC academy day, a bid to inspire young players and foster a one-club mentality
