England have played some flawless football at the European Championship, and Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has been on of the players leading from the front. Many fans criticised his inclusion in the starting eleven, but the trickster has shut down all his doubters with consistent performances.
Sterling has scored three important goals and has always looked dangerous in the England attack. Sterling earned the controversial penalty against Denmark, which sent the Three Lions to the finals against Italy. Based on his performances, his Manchester City teammate John Stones believes that the winger should be the player of the tournament.
The English centre back pointed out how Sterling has had a talismanic presence for them. He also added that Raheem’s performance in this tournament has answered all his doubters.
“I’ve said it all along but I’m a big fan of Raheem’s,”
“I believe and I’d love to see him get player of the tournament. What he’s done for us and the unselfish part of his game goes unspoken about. But as players we see it. He’s been a great threat going forward with how direct he’s been in the games and it has been great playing with him.
“I’m sure he will be giving everything on Sunday, being that direct, and hopefully get another goal and see where it takes us.”
the defender told reporters before the big final against Italy.
The City winger has been ridiculed a lot for his shooting since his Liverpool days. Although his shooting improved under Pep Guardiola, the doubters kept on criticising the 26-year-old for every time he squandered a chance for club or country.
Sterling scored 10 goals in the last Premier League campaign helping the Citizens win the league title. However, as he donned the England shirt for the Euros, he turned into a talisman for Gareth Southgate’s men. The 26-year-old was straight off the blocks as he scored the solitary goal against Croatia in the opening fixture, helping England start with a win. The Three Lions failed to find the target against arch-rivals Scotland in the second game, and there also Sterling looked the most dangerous for Southgate’s men.
While Harry Kane was going through a rough patch with his goalscoring, it was Sterling who kept the English attack flowing along with the likes of Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka. The 26-year-old found the target again in the final group stage match against the Czech Republic. England once again rode on his solitary goal to win 1-0 and topped their group.
The Three Lions faced a stern test in the round of 16 as they went up against the mighty Germans. It was a very cagey game, and in the first hour, none of the teams had any major chance of breaking the deadlock. Things started opening up after the hour mark, but the teams were not clinical enough to take their chances.
It was around the 75th-minute mark when Luke Shaw came up with a fantastic cross to find Sterling in the penalty area. The 26-year-old who is in fiery form made no mistake to break the deadlock. England added another goal in the last few minutes of the match as Harry Kane finally found his opening goal of the tournament.
Sterling again turned hero in the quarterfinals against Ukraine as he assisted Kane to hand England an early lead. Southgate’s men went on to thump Ukraine 4-0 and progressed to the last four of the tournament. He also played a huge role in England’s win over Denmark, and Stones believes that his club and country teammate will again play a huge role against Azzurri in the finals.
