England football star and Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling is trending as he missed an important knockout match in the round of 16 against Senegal. There was a huge uproar after a tweet from England’s official tweeter handle that “Raheem Sterling is not available for selection for the #ThreeLions tonight as he is dealing with a family matter”. Here is the tweet,
England fans were very disappointed after this tweet and were curious about what happened to Raheem Sterling.
What happened to Raheem Sterling and why he left for the UK in between FIFA World Cup 2022?
Raheem Sterling went back to the UK after he came to know that his Surrey Mansion was burgled by armed robbers. Police confirmed that armed robbers attacked his house in London and stole some jewelry & £300k worth of watches. While attacked, his family was at home but thankfully they are safe. As soon as Raheem Sterling got informed about this, he was shaking and instantly met manager Gareth Southgate. England manager Gareth Southgate said: “Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing and family should come first. Raheem Sterling instantly went to his family of three young children and a wife. Due to this incident, Raheem Sterling missed the round of 16 knockout match against Senegal which England won by 3-0. Police have no luck yet to arrest anyone as no witness came forward to get a lead on this horrible incident. Still, they are working to gather all pieces of evidence including CCTV footage to get a single lead toward attackers.
Who is Raheem Sterling?
Jamaican-born Raheem Sterling moved to London at the age of five. Before signing with Liverpool in 2010, Raheem Sterling played for the English club Queens Park Rangers. He was awarded the Golden Boy title in 2014. In 2015, he had a dispute with Liverpool regarding a new contract and got signed by Manchester City worth £49 million. This was the highest amount for any English player at that time. He had a very successful carrier with Manchester City and helped Manchester City to win back-to-back Premier Leagues in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He got awarded by PFA Young Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year after those successful seasons.
On 13 July 2022, Raheem Sterling again signed for Chelsea on a five-year contract for a fee of £47.5 million. On 6 August 2022, he made his club debut in a match against Everton which they won by 1-0. On 27 August 2022, Sterling scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win over Leicester City.
Is Raheem Sterling going to return to England squad for the Quarter-Finals match against France?
Before flying to the UK, Raheem Sterling already cleared this. He already confirmed that he will return to the squad after meeting his family. Manager Gareth Southgate Supported him with his decision and prioritized his family’s safety over the game against Senegal. His company was much needed by his family after such a horrible incident. Due to this incident, people usually get disturbed and they need some space to get recovered. Manager Gareth Southgate further said on his return, “We want to give him that space and we will see over the next few days how that develops.”. He was clearly pointing toward his mental recovery and his return will depend on his mental health. Hope he will soon recover from that tragedy and will serve better for England in future knockout matches. Raheem Sterling‘s team-mate Declan Rice said: “I saw him at breakfast this morning, then the manager said he had difficulties at home so we’ve all sent him a message.”
Will Raheem Sterling‘s absence create difficulties for England in the Quarter-Finals match against France?
France is a really well-balanced and organized team. Even in the absence of their leading striker Karim Benzema, they are dominating with next-level performance in every match. It will not be easy for England if they started losing players like Raheem Sterling. But still, they have an amazing squad to replace Raheem Sterling and can manage without him as well. Have a look at their squad,
Coach: Gareth Southgate
Captain: Harry Kane
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale.
Defenders: Harry Maguire, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eric Dier, Conor Coady, Ben White.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Callum Wilson.
England does have many amazing forward choices like Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Callum Wilson, and Phil Foden. England included Phil Foden as a replacement for Raheem Sterling to play as a left winger.
According to me, It will not have that much effect on England but yes some damage is already done if you are losing one great forward as a choice. England should pray for his fast recovery as they do not have many chances to survive in this World Cup. One loss will simply eliminate them from this World Cup.
What is your opinion on this? Leave your comment in the comment section below. Have a nice day!!!
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Will Raheem Sterling return to Qatar?
It depends on his mental health. England would love to include him again in the squad but they are letting him prioritize his family first. So it’s completely up to Raheem Sterling. He can anytime join the squad again.
Why is Sterling going home from World Cup?
Raheem Sterling left Qatar after he came to know that his Surrey Mansion was burgled by armed robbers while his family was inside. His family needs his company after this horrific incident. So he sacrificed his World Cup appearance and prioritized his family.
