Raheem Sterling

Raheem had a troubled childhood as his family had to fight poverty. He lost his father early in his life and he himself became a father at a young age. His daughter, Melody Rose, was born in 2012 when he was just 18.

In 2013, Raheem was charged with cases of physical assault - one by his ex-girlfriend, while the second came from an unknown woman. In both the cases, Raheem was given a clean chit due to lack of evidence.

Raheem was attacked by an unidentified man on 16 December 2017. The incident unfolded at the Manchester training ground where the attacker made some nasty racial comments against him. A few days later, the man was identified as Karl Anderson and sentenced to 16 weeks in prison. He was also slapped a fine of £100.

Raheem was born Raheem Shaquille Sterling in Jamaica on December 8, 1994. He, along with his mother, moved to London when he was just five years old. Raheem’s father chose to stay back in Jamaica. Raheem and his family underwent many hardships to manage their expenses. His mother somehow managed to make both ends meet. When Raheem turned eight, his father was murdered in Jamaica.

Raheem was then a student of Copland Community School in Wembley, North West London, and was playing for the school’s football team. Post his father’s sad demise, Raheem managed to turn his anger and frustration into positive energy and channelized it to improve his soccer skills. His selection into the ‘Queens Park Rangers Football Club’ turned out to be his turning point. Raheem was now prepared to officially start his football career.

Raheem played for ‘Queens Park Rangers Football Club’ from 2003 to 2010. This seven year-long span helped him a lot in shaping his career. At the end of his tenure with the club, Raheem was already a star player. By then, he had managed to grab the attention of many including veterans and legends of the game. Though Raheem played at multiple positions, most of his amazing performances came when he was playing as a natural winger. He quickly became popular for his speed and low center of gravity.

In February 2010, Raheem signed a contract with ‘Liverpool’ and was initially offered 600,000 Euros. The then ‘Liverpool’ coach Rafael Benítez promised to pay him more provided he plays most of the matches for Liverpool’s youth team.

Raheem made his debut for the team in a friendly match against ‘Hibernian F.C’. Next, he played against ‘Aston Villa’ at the Premier Academy League. Both the matches ended in a draw.

Raheem registered his first victory against ‘Notts County F.C’ while playing in the Football Association Youth Cup. After a few more remarkable victories, Raheem was promoted to the senior team of Liverpool. He initially played as a substitute. The first goal that he scored for the senior team was against ‘Bayer Leverkusen’. His first man of the match award came on 15 September 2011 when his team won against ‘Sunderland’.

Raheem was selected to play for the ‘Young Boys’ team at the UEFA Europa League. He played well and handed Liverpool a victory. On 20 October, Raheem became the second youngest player ever to score a competitive goal for ‘Liverpool’. The goal came against ‘Reading F.C’ in a dramatic fashion.