Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling says he wants to play for England under the team’s new coach after almost two years in the wilderness under previous manager Gareth Southgate.
Sterling, 29, was a key part of Southgate’s reign, particularly at the World Cup in Russia in 2018 and at the 2020 European Championship (held in 2021) but he has not appeared for England since the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
Southgate stepped down as England coach following the Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain last month and the FA is in the process of hiring his replacement. Sterling, capped 82 times by England — 55 of them under Southgate — was asked by The Athletic this week whether he still remains open to playing for his country.
“If the opportunity comes around, it is something that I’ve always dreamt of as a kid and managed to do it,” he said. “I had some great memories with the national team. You say it like I’m 38 or something! Football has different timings, there was a period with a lot of injuries and comebacks. It was a different part of my life. I am looking forward to getting back in the England setup that is for sure.”
Sterling’s last England appearance was the 2022 World Cup quarter-final defeat by France (Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images)
Asked if he missed being part of the squad this summer, Sterling replied: “Of course, I love playing for England. It is one of the best feelings you can ever have. To see the boys out there brought me joy, to be honest, they were the only games I watched — the England ones. I love playing for England.”
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To return to the squad, his output for Chelsea will likely need to improve, as Sterling has scored only 13 Premier League goals across his two seasons at Stamford Bridge since joining from Manchester City. His pre-season under new coach Enzo Maresca has looked largely sharp and promising, even as Chelsea won only one of their five games on tour in the United States.
“He has come in and stamped his authority, the way he wants to play,” Sterling said on Maresca, his fifth head coach at Chelsea. “Yes, some of the results haven’t been pleasing on the eye but with the ball, the right information is getting passed on, you can see the patterns that are coming through. It is early days so you can see where we’re looking to go.
“With this way, in the early stages, mistakes are made and in some games it costs us. But the manager is highlighting what we can do better. It is a learning process for the whole group and one we are grasping really quickly. The Premier League is coming along very soon so I do think it is good times ahead.”
Sterling was the oldest player in Chelsea’s squad on tour, underlining just how much emphasis has been placed on youth during the club’s £1billion+ recruitment drive under the ownership of Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly. The Englishman warned there is a need to “mature quickly”.
“Attacking-wise, we have some great players and we need to gel that together,” he added. “I do see great potential within the team. The group is young but with the players we have we have to mature really quickly, which we are. You can see the good football we are playing at times and we need to simplify certain things and the results will come our way to compete.”
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(Top photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
