Raheem Sterling has made an interesting claim about one of his former Manchester City teammates.
Sterling spent seven years at City and played and trained with several players who would be classed as legends of the game.
At Liverpool and Chelsea, the former Manchester City winger has played with top players but simultaneously, their squads lacked too many world-class performers during his spells at the club.
However, Sterling is set to enter his third season as a Blues player — hoping to help Enzo Maresca’s side qualify for the Champions League in the following campaign.
One of the many brilliant players the Englishman had the honour of playing with was John Stones.
Raheem Sterling hails John Stones
Stones and Sterling were key to Manchester City’s success over the years — especially during the 2017/2018 season where their side accumulated a historic 100 points.
The £50 million man formed an incredible partnership with Nicolas Otamendi at the back — as the team conceded a mere 27 goals in 38 games.
Sterling had one of the best seasons in his career — with 18 goals and 11 assists to his name in the Premier League.
In all competitions, the 29-year-old registered 23 goals and 13 assists.
When naming a five-a-side team of his best-ever teammates in an interview with Fubo, Sterling picked Stones as one of the four players he played alongside at the Etihad Stadium.
The Chelsea wideman said: “Yeah, no goalkeeper. John Stones at the back, then I’d go [Steven] Gerrard, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and [Sergio] Aguero.”
Understandable why Sterling picked Stones
Considering Stones was especially crucial, not just in Manchester City’s title triumph in 2018 but also in 2021 and 2022, Sterling must appreciate how much he helped him being a part of Sky Blues and English footballing folklore.
For England as well, while Sterling and Stones did not win a major trophy, they did reach the Euro 2020 final and the 2018 World Cup semi-final — stages several players are yet to partake in.
With how suited the latter is to playing in five-a-side games due to his sublime technique, intelligent reading of the game at the back and ability to play in tight spaces, one can understand why the former Liverpool speedster chose him in his team.
