Raheem Sterling insists losing his dad as a toddler “shaped my entire life”.
The England star was raised by both his mother Nadine and grandmother but believes his father’s murder made him who he is today.
Raheem Sterling has opened up on losing his father and moving to Jamaica as a child Credit: The Players’ Tribune
He has paid tribute to his late dad with a controversial gun tattoo on his right leg.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Players’ Tribune, dad-of-two Sterling said: “When I was two years old, my father was murdered. That shaped my entire life.
“Not long after that, my mum made the decision to leave me and my sister in Jamaica and go to England so she could get her degree and give us a better life.
“For a few years, we lived with our grandmother in Kingston, and I remember watching the other kids with their mums and just feeling really jealous.
Raheem Sterling’s mum, Nadine, raised him with the help of his grandmother Credit: Instagram @sterling7
Raheem Sterling struggled at school but sorted out his act when he focused on footballCredit: Alamy Live News
“I didn’t fully understand what my mum was doing for us. I just knew that she was gone. My grandma was amazing, but everybody wants their mum at that age.”
Sterling had football as an escape and his amazing talent earned him a contract at QPR when he was 11 – six years after his mother moved the family back to London.
But before that he struggled with discipline and was even forced to change primary schools due to his bad behaviour.
Sterling confessed he must have driven his mum “mental”.
The Manchester City forward – a father to Melody-Rose, six, and 16-month-old Thiago – only got his act together after meeting his mentor, youth worker Clive Ellington.
He said: “After about a year, I moved back to the big school. But if I really think hard about it, the moment my life changed was when I met a guy named Clive Ellington.
Raheem Sterling has a tattoo on his leg as a tribute to his father
England star Raheem Sterling has come a long way since playing Sunday League footballCredit: EPA
“He used to mentor the kids in our neighbourhood who didn’t have their fathers around.
“He genuinely cared about us. So one day he sat me down and he said, ‘Raheem, what do you love to do?’
“I said, ‘I love playing football.’
“He said, ‘Well, I got a little Sunday League team. Why don’t you come out and play with us?’
“And that was it. That moment changed my life.”
