The man who discovered Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling on the playing fields of Brent says he always knew the the Anfield ace was destined for great things.
England manager Roy Hodgson this afternoon confirmed Sterling will be part of his Three Lions squad for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
It has been a long road to this point for the teenager and his journey begins on the tropical shores of Kingston, Jamaica.
He lived on the Caribbean island until he was six before emigrating to England with his family, living a stone’s throw away from the famous Wembley arch on the St Raphael’s estate.
It was a school of hard knocks for the young footballer as he ignored the temptations of gangs to focus on his game.
Sterling attended Oakington Manor and Copland Community Schools in Brent.
And it was at the former where Alpha & Omega football coach Peter Moring first laid eyes on the precocious talent.
“I’ve had five boys since who have gone on to represent England,” Moring explained.
“Kerrea Gilbert from Arsenal, Philip Ifil was at Tottenham, Sean Thomas was also at Arsenal, Dean Sylvester at Chelsea and the latest one is Raheem Sterling.
“I’ve got another good player playing for Crystal Palace in Yannick Bolasie. The track record has been exceptionally good.
“I picked him [Sterling] up when he was nine years of age and playing for his primary school Oakington Manor because I was running football sessions in the Wembley Park area. I spotted him and put him into Queens Park Rangers.
“Nobody had seen anything of Raheem until then.”
QPR snapped up the exciting winger at the age of 11, although such was his ability it wasn’t long before Liverpool came calling. Shortly before his 15th birthday he was on his way to Anfield for a fee of around £600,000 in February 2010.
Sterling narrowly missed out on a Premier League winner’s medal on Sunday as Brendan Rodgers’ side were pipped at the post by champions Manchester City, although an England call-up from Hodgson is a decent consolation prize.
Hodgson gave him his Reds debut at the age of 15 in a pre-season friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach in August of 2010. But it was this season that Sterling really announced himself, playing a major part of Liverpool’s success.
He reached double figures and weighed in with his fair-share of assists too, terrorising some of the best defenders in the league with his frightening pace and skill.
He has the courage to collect the ball under pressure and attack teams, something Moring says was evident from an early age.
“I like the way Raheem controls himself,” he added. “Players often lose the ball and stand still at about 10 years of age but not Raheem. He never stopped.
“Even when he was at Rangers he used to come down to my training sessions on Mondays and Fridays at Wembley Park. His work-rate was terrific.”
Sterling deserves his place in the England squad this summer and can take his career to the next level in Brazil, which gives him the platform to thrill a worldwide audience on the biggest stage of all.
Still just 19, many would struggle to cope with the pressure. But for Hodgson, Sterling’s staggering consistency for his former club this year is proof he can keep his cool when faced with mammoth tasks.
"I remember being very impressed with him in the under-21 game I oversaw [when the winger scored in a 6-0 win over Scotland in August 2013,” said England boss Hodgson.
“He still hadn't really burst back into the Liverpool team back then but now he's back in the side his form seems to be going up and up.
"People like him emerging, and doing as well as he is in a top team, just puts a lot of pressure on everybody else because, if you can do at it the top of the table with Liverpool, then you can do it in an England shirt as well.
"We've lost Theo, who's been pretty much a regular, so it's good to have Raheem, and there are others.”
