Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Arsenal, on loan from Chelsea.

[13] Sterling spent four years with local youth team Alpha & Omega before signing for Queens Park Rangers, at age 10, as a winger.

[17] On 24 March 2012, Sterling made his senior Liverpool debut as a substitute in a league match against Wigan Athletic, aged 17 years and 107 days, becoming the third-youngest player to play for the club.

[19][20] In August 2012, he made his European debut for the club, coming on as a substitute in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match against Gomel, replacing Joe Cole in a 1–0 away win.

[24] On 20 October, Sterling scored his first senior competitive goal for Liverpool in the 29th minute of a 1–0 league win against Reading with a strike from the edge of the box.

[37] On 31 August, Sterling scored the opening goal in a 3–0 league win against Tottenham at White Hart Lane and was named man of the match.

[43][44] Sterling was officially excused from Liverpool's FA Cup match against AFC Wimbledon in January 2015, with manager Brendan Rodgers aiming to prevent the player becoming exhausted.

[45] On 20 January 2015, Sterling scored a fine solo goal against Chelsea in a 1–1 draw in the League Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield, going past Nemanja Matić and Gary Cahill before beating Thibaut Courtois to find the net.

[56] Four days later, Brendan Rodgers criticised Sterling's advisors (Aidy Ward) for the interview, saying: "You are not a 20-year-old boy and you pick up the phone and ask to speak to the BBC.

[60][61] On 12 July 2015, a deal was agreed for his transfer to Manchester City for an initial £44 million, with a further potential £5 milion in add-ons, subject to personal terms and a medical, which made him at the time the most expensive English footballer ever.

On 12 August 2018, less than a month after starting in England's 2–0 loss against Belgium in the third place play-off, Sterling scored the opening goal in Manchester City's 2–0 away win against Arsenal.

[90][91] On 17 April 2019, Sterling scored two in Manchester City's 4–3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg; however, they were knocked out on away goals after losing 1–0 in the first leg.

In the 2019 FA Community Shield against Liverpool on 4 August, Sterling scored the opening goal of the match in an eventual 1–1 draw; Manchester City ultimately won the title 5–4 on penalties.

[104] In the Citizens' next game on 3 October, he scored his first Premier League goal of the season against Leeds United in a 1–1 away draw, and added another in the following match two weeks later against Arsenal, a 1–0 home win.

[121] With his goal in a 5–0 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg away win against Sporting CP three days later, Sterling entered into the top ten of all-time Manchester City goalscorers.

[129] On 7 March 2023, Sterling scored against Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of Chelsea's round of 16 tie, in which the Blues' would win 2–0 at home, helping them advance to the quarter finals.

[132] In late August 2024, Sterling's future with the club was cast into doubt when new manager Enzo Maresca made clear he did not want the player.

[134] Sterling made his first start for the club on 25 September and scored the fourth goal of a 5–1 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the EFL Cup.

[144] On 10 September 2012, Sterling was called up to the senior England squad for the first time for a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Ukraine, where he was an unused substitute.

[152][153] On 14 June, Sterling started in England's opening group match, a 2–1 loss to Italy in Manaus, and was rated as the team's best performing player by the BBC.

[citation needed] In November 2019, Sterling was dropped from the England team after clashing with international teammate but club rival Joe Gomez.

[169] On 4 December, Sterling left the England World Cup squad in Qatar to return to London after armed intruders broke into his home while his family were in.

[46] Known at his peak for his pace, low centre of gravity, and dribbling skills,[175] Sterling was compared to Alexis Sánchez by his former manager Brendan Rodgers.

[175] Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi said in November 2014 that Sterling is good enough to play for the La Liga club, praising his physical and technical qualities.

[178][179] In April 2015, BBC Sport columnist Phil McNulty wrote that Sterling was "very good with the potential to be outstanding" but remained a "work in progress" due to inconsistent performances.

Four days later, 29-year-old Karl Anderson, a convicted football hooligan, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated common assault and was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison and a £100 fine.

[189] There has been criticism of how the British tabloid media, such as The Sun, cover and treat Sterling with articles being deemed unfair and racist by pundits including Ian Wright.

The Raheem Sterling Foundation will 'educate, empower and inspire young people to become better prepared for the future and to embrace opportunities to achieve greater social mobility.'

Speaking at the launch, Sterling said: "My foundation is built on my experiences, successes and the many challenges I overcame, I now want to help young people achieve and be the best they can be.

He appeared in an advertisement for the new Nike Green Speed II alongside Mario Götze, Theo Walcott, Eden Hazard, Christian Eriksen and Stephan El Shaarawy in November 2012.