Raheem Sterling has revealed he almost joined Arsenal’s academy, only for his mum to step in and advise him not to sign.
The winger joined the Gunners on loan on deadline day this summer, agreeing a season-long deal from London rivals Chelsea after being frozen out of the Blues’ matchday squads.
However, Sterling could have worn Arsenal red much, much earlier in his career, had it not been for his mum advising him not to.
And it’s not because Sterling’s mother was a Tottenham fan.
Fans have unearthed his Players’ Tribune piece from 2018, in which the England international said: “[Joining a Sunday League team] changed my life. From that day, it was football, football, football. Obsessed. Totally obsessed.
“When I was 10 or 11, I was getting scouted by some big clubs in London. Fulham wanted me. Arsenal wanted me. And when Arsenal want you, of course you’re thinking you gotta go there. Biggest club in London, you know? So I’m running around telling my mates, ‘I’m off to the Arsenal!’
“But my Mum is a proper warrior. She knows how to make it in this world. She’s probably the most streetwise person I know. She sat me down one day, and she said, ‘Look, I love you. But I don’t feel you should go to Arsenal’.
“I said, ‘Ehhhh?’
“She said, ‘If you go there, there’s going to be 50 players who are just as good as you. You’ll just be a number. You need to go somewhere where you can work your way up’.”
And Sterling says his mum – who, along with his sister, worked endlessly to ensure he could live his dream – proved to be absolutely right.
He continued: “She convinced me to go to QPR, and it was probably the best decision I ever made.
2
“At QPR, they didn’t let me slip up.”
Liverpool then snapped Sterling up at the age of 15 in 2010.
He went on to make 129 appearances for the Reds, earning his first England senior call-up in that time, before moving to Manchester City in a deal worth £49million.
He played 339 times for City, scoring 131 goals and grabbing 73 assists and won four Premier League titles, five League Cups and an FA Cup in the process.
Sterling then left Manchester for a return to west London in 2022, joining Chelsea for £47.5million.
He struggled to rediscover the electric form he experienced for most of his time at the Etihad Stadium, though, and had his squad number removed ahead of this season as he was left out of Enzo Maresca’s team.
Now, Sterling has finally penned a deal in north London, roughly 20 years on from the club’s initial interest.
And he’ll be keen to reignite his career as he’s reunited with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who previously served as assistant manager of Man City.
JOIN THE DUGOUT
Have your say on all things talkSPORT by joining ‘The DUGOUT’ – our new listener panel.
We’re all about diving deep into your perspectives, and making sure talkSPORT is the absolute best it can be. Your voice matters, and we want to hear it!
Pitch your game-changing ideas, and join in with fun surveys, polls, and locker-room discussions.
Just by joining, you’ll enter a prize draw to win one of four £50 Amazon vouchers, with another prize draw entry for every survey you complete after that
To join the ‘The DUGOUT’ panel, please click here.