YOU forget just how good Raheem Sterling was in the not too distant past.
Four-and-a-half years ago, he made Thomas Muller and Antonio Rudiger look silly as he turned them, ghosted into the box and slotted home Luke Shaw’s low cross.
In an instant, an incredibly anxious Wembley erupted into a sea of limbs as he coolly put England ahead in the 75th minute of the do-or-die last-16 clash with Germany at Euro 2020.
Sterling had secured a third Premier League title with Manchester City a few weeks earlier and was an important ever-present as Gareth Southgate’s side made it to their first major final since 1966.
We all know what then happened against Italy but Sterling was still only 26 and when he moved to Chelsea in 2022 he spoke of his ambitions to compete for the Ballon d’Or.
His spell at Stamford Bridge was more Ballon d’Oh, mind, as his previously prodigious production levels — which saw him net 91 league goals in 225 appearances for City — fell off a cliff.
When Enzo Maresca arrived as manager in 2024, Sterling was one of the first on the Italian’s chopping block as he was quickly banished to train with the ‘Bomb Squad’ of outcasts at Cobham.
Arsenal offered him a lifeline when taking him on loan last season but it was a disaster.
He badly underperformed and did little to change the perception that he was a fading star.
He’s had to deal with more than his fair share of stick over the years and now — after being released from the final 18 months of his Chelsea contract — the question is…. what next?
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
No matter your allegiance, it’s always sad to see a top-class talent like Sterling experience such a drastic drop-off, and it’s been a developing theme in football over the last few years.
Dele Alli, for four or five years one of the best players in the Prem, has been without a club since September after Italian side Como dumped him after just one nine-minute cameo and a red card.
Of course, Dele has bravely opened up about his upsetting backstory in recent years and admitted to dealing with some significant personal issues away from the pitch.
His was perhaps the most disheartening and staggering decline in recent memory.
A player who was unstoppable one moment brought to a screeching halt the next.
Then there is Jack Wilshere, who burst into the Arsenal team at a young age but never fulfilled his potential as his career was wrecked by a series of injuries.
From a similar generation, the wheels have fallen off at various times and for different reasons for the likes of Jesse Lingard, Ross Barkley and Jadon Sancho.
Perhaps there is hope for Sterling in the form of Marcus Rashford, who also looked destined for the scrapheap before turning the ship around at Aston Villa and earning a shot at the Nou Camp with Barcelona.
It might be the case that players who are so precocious and break through in their teens simply peak earlier in their careers.
Harry Kane, still banging them in for Bayern Munich, being the anomaly.
The sport is more demanding than ever, and explosive talents like Sterling are putting their minds and bodies under tremendous strain from a very young age.
Very few people will be reaching for the violin on behalf of these pampered and ultra-talented multi-millionaires but they’re human and they have given us all plenty of brilliant entertainment.
On Wednesday night, one Chelsea fan cheekily posted on social media ‘Thanks for the memories’ above a clip of Sterling blazing a direct free-kick on the edge of the box into the Matthew Harding Upper Stand.
It was a harsh but fair summary of his time at the Bridge.
But he can still boast an illustrious career and it would be a crying shame if he were to go out with barely a whimper.
GLASS ACT
WHERE to rank Anatoliy Trubin’s stunning 98th-minute header against Real Madrid in the pantheon of great goalkeeping goals?
It did put Jose Mourinho’s Benfica side through to the knockout stage play-offs of the Champions League.
Alisson’s goal for Liverpool against West Brom a few years back — which virtually secured them a top-four finish — is another big ’un. But it doesn’t take top spot.
No, until someone does it in a major final, that honour will remain with Jimmy Glass, who hammered in on the volley in the last minute on the final day of the season in 1999 to keep Carlisle in the league.
Absolute scenes.
DRY BLUES
SQUEAKY bum time is fast approaching for Coventry fans.
The Sky Blues’ once-handsome lead at the Championship summit has been steadily eroded over the past month, with Middlesbrough and Ipswich now right behind them.
I for one will be hoping Frank Lampard can steady the ship because it would be great to have Cov back in the Premier League.
But they lost on the road again on Monday at Norwich and the goals have dried up.
They netted 50 in their first 18 games but have scored just 12 in their last 11 matches. Tomorrow’s trip to QPR is a must, must win.
IRISH EYES
EVERYONE who left Cheltenham on Saturday was totally deflated after superstar hurdler Sir Gino suffered a season-ending injury.
Thankfully he could make a full recovery from a fractured pelvis but his demise has blown March’s Champion Hurdle wide open.
There will be some major clues this weekend in Ireland as Leopardstown hosts the Dublin Racing Festival, a feat in itself as it was underwater after heavy rain.
Willie Mullins’ Lossiemouth will be a hot favourite in the Irish Champion Hurdle and if she wins she HAS to be in the line-up.
If they bottle it and go for the Mares’ Hurdle again, it will be the mother-of-all disgrace jobs.
