The English Premier League has produced many superstars, from Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to former Manchester City goal machine Sergio Kun Aguero. However, very a few of them had to beat the odds to play in one of the world’s most popular leagues.
Raheem Sterling’s journey to stardom is an inspiring one. The current Manchester City winger grew up without a father. His dad was gunned down by criminals in Kingston, Jamaica.
When the 2019 PFA young player of the year was five-years-old, her mother Nadine Clarke migrated to London, United Kingdom with Sterling and her elder sister Kima-Lee in search for greener pastures.
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Clarke worked as a restaurant cleaner to earn some extra cash to finance her degree and fend for her family. Sterling and her sister would occasionally help her to clean the restaurant’s washrooms.
In the absence of a father-figure to look up to, the former Liverpool star became violent at a tender age. Clarke, a former sprinter, had no option but to send her boy to Vernon Specialist School for years.
He started playing the beautiful game at the age of ten, making appearances in Sunday leagues.
It did not take long before Sterling’s talent was spotted by English clubs. The likes of Arsenal and Fulham got interested in him, but Clarke advised the England international to sign for Queen Park Rangers where he would get more playing opportunities.
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While at Queen’s Park Rangers, Sterling’s sister would take him to training.
In a 2018 interview with The Players Tribune, Sterling who netted his 100th Premier League goal last season credited her family for making him the star he is today.
“Three buses. The 18 to the 182 to the 140. The red double-deckers with the blue wool ’80s vibe on the seats. Spent ages on those. We’d leave at 3:15 and get home at 11 p.m. Every. Single. Day,”
“She’d sit upstairs in the little cafe and chill until I was done with training. Imagine being 17 years old and doing that for your little brother. And I never once heard her say, “Nah, I don’t wanna take him,”
“At the time, I didn’t understand how much she was sacrificing. Her and my mum got me here. My whole family played a massive part in my life. Without them, you wouldn’t even know me,” he revealed.
Sterling is currently on the verge of joining 2020/2021 UEFA champions Chelsea, should the London-based club agree terms with Pep Guardiola’s side Manchester City.
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