Raheem Sterling has named FOUR players ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in his ‘top five players’ list.
Sterling, 30, is currently on loan at Arsenal from Premier League rivals Chelsea but has struggled to make a positive impact on Mikel Arteta’s side in his 12 appearances for the north London club.
However, despite his downturn in form, Sterling already boasts a career most players would dream about having represented Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal as well as sporting 82 England caps.
Advert
He was arguably at his best during his time at City, registering 131 goals and 73 assists in 339 appearances which helped the club win four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and five League Cups during his seven-year stay.
Aside from his achievements, he has experienced playing with and against several world-class operators.
During his time at Liverpool, he shared a dressing room with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.
He worked alongside Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure at City as well as sharing a pitch with modern-day stars such as Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka in recent years.
But none of the players mentioned made it into his top five players of all-time list.
Speaking to GOAL’s FanZone in November 2024, he gave his thoughts.
“Cristiano Ronaldo at fifth, which is mad,” he said.
“For me then, R9 [Ronaldo Nazario] [at] four. [Lionel] Messi three, Neymar [at two].”
But his number one may surprise you.
He put another Brazilian, Ronaldinho, at the top of his impressive list.
Sterling previously explained how the 2002 World Cup winner was his idol growing up.
"Ronaldinho [was my idol],” he told BBC Radio 5 Live in 2020 [quotes via MEN].
“That's who I... if you saw my history on YouTube, I think I've watched every single clip of his playing career.
"That was the player I used to go in the garden and try to recreate, which I could have never done. I tried it to the best of my ability but he was so special."
And the England international clearly admires Brazilian players, admitting that he "likes" a certain thing that Neymar does.
"What I really like about Neymar is every time he loses the ball, or tries something, he goes again," he told The Times in 2018.
"He doesn’t get disheartened. He has that winner’s mentality.
“Watching Neymar...you’ve got the ball at the edge of his box, and he’s straight at you, trying to win the ball. He does do a lot of tricks but he does his tricks at the right time."
Topics: Raheem Sterling, Cristiano Ronaldo, Arsenal, Premier League, Mikel Arteta, Manchester City, Ronaldinho, Champions League
Luke Davies