Somewhat amazingly, Raheem Sterling is only 26 years old! OK, we’ve lied, for effect, he’s actually 29, but the point is he seems to have been around for so long that he should be at least 34 and very much entering the final years of his career. It’s unlikely, though not entirely impossible, that his best years could yet be ahead of him.
He has 82 England caps, despite not playing for the Three Lions since 2022 and made his first team debut at the age of just 17. Having come through the youth academy at QPR, he was signed by Liverpool in February 2010, just a few months after turning 15. He impressed with the Reds in various youth teams but made his full debut aged 17 years and 107 days, coming off the bench in the Premier League.
He spent four seasons at Liverpool before making a very controversial switch to Man City. He produced some great football there but moved to Chelsea and is now on loan at Arsenal. The fact that he has played for just four clubs in his career, and those are Liverpool, City, Chelsea and Arsenal is quite remarkable. Here we will take a look at his career so far, and also at whether any other players in Premier League history have played for so many of the “big six” (those four, plus Man United and Spurs).
Sterling’s Time with Liverpool
As said, Sterling’s first senior contract and appearance came with Liverpool and he soon established himself as a regular. He played just three times for the Reds in 2011/12 but the following season made 36 appearances in all competitions. He managed just two goals but was slowly becoming a more influential player and 12 months on he scored 10 times from 38 matches.
In that 2013/14 campaign, he notched nine Premier League goals and added five assists, and was named Liverpool’s Young Player of the Season. He won the same award the following year, and also earned the honour of winning the coveted Golden Boy prize (given to the best player under the age of 21 playing in any top European league). Other winners include Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, which illustrates the sort of level Sterling was at.
Controversial Move to City
Sterling won many individual honours at Liverpool but nothing with the club. Seeking to win silverware – though Liverpool fans would suggest the huge wages City offered were the key factor – the former QPR youth moved to Manchester City. After much wrangling the deal went through on the 14th of July 2015 for a fee of up to £49m including add-ons.
At the age of just 20, he had become the most expensive English footballer in history. He settled quickly with Man City and hit double-figures for goals in all of his seven seasons with the club. The three campaigns from 2017/18 onwards were the best of his career as he netted 23, 25 and then in 2019/20 an impressive 31 club goals. In 2019 he also scored eight times in nine games for England.
He continued to receive a lot of criticism from Liverpool fans but we doubt very much Sterling cared. He won four PL titles with City, as well as the FA Cup and five League Cups, as well as appearing in a Champions League final. The fact that he collected around £300,000 a week for part of his time there no doubt helped too!
From the 2020/21 campaign onwards his stats dropped a little as he managed 14 goals and then 17 the season after that. Pep was beginning to play him a little less often in the biggest games and occasionally questioned him. Although he featured almost 50 times in both his last two seasons at City, he was used from the bench more often than he would have liked.
London Calling
Ready @ChelseaFC 💙 #HomecomingSeason pic.twitter.com/KqVKeAQCpM
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) July 13, 2022
When he signed for Liverpool as a kid, he was encouraged to move out of London by his mum, who wanted him to escape the capital’s gang culture. Over a decade later he was ready to return, albeit to the rather more gentile environs of Chelsea. After 339 games – and 131 goals – with Man City, the time was right to leave.
The west Londoners parted with over £47m to sign Sterling at a time when he should have been in his peak years. He was keen for a new challenge, more playing time and, the chance to prove that he deserved to go to the 2022 World Cup with England. In a sense, his move to the Blues was a success, as he went to the World Cup in Qatar and played over 80 games in his two seasons at the Bridge.
However, despite scoring nine times in his first season and then 10 the year after, he never really hit the heights. Chelsea’s transfer dealings and constant managerial changes didn’t help and despite a strong pre-season, in the summer of 2024 the latest Blues boss made it clear Sterling was not really in his plans.
Arsenal Ahoy
Raheem Sterling 🤝 The Arsenal
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 31, 2024
And so it was that Sterling moved to his fourth huge English club in August 2024. It was a loan deal that was great for the Gunners and Mikel Arteta, allowing them to sign an experienced player who had won it all with limited cost. Time will tell how it works out for the player and the club though.
Other Big-Club Kings
Nicolas Anelka has also played for four of the current big six, not to mention Real Madrid, PSG and Juve as well! Anelka played for Arsenal, Liverpool (on loan from PSG), Man City and Chelsea.
Other than Sterling and the French forward, as far as we are aware no other player has represented more than three such teams. Some of those to complete a big-six hat-trick include:
- William Gallas – The French defender played for Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs
- Emmanuel Adebayor – Controversial striker played for Arsenal, Man City and Spurs
- Kolo Toure – Classy defender played for Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool
- Daniel Sturridge – Former England striker played for Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool
- Yossi Benayoun – Israeli attacking midfielder played for Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal