Raheem Shaquille Sterling (born 8 December 1994) is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool

Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

. He was born in Kingston

Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...

, Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

. He mainly plays as a winger.

Queens Park Rangers

Sterling was at Queens Park Rangers

Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...

 for seven years as a youth player.

Liverpool

Sterling was signed in February 2010 for an initial fee of £600,000, but this could rise to £5 million depending on how many appearances he makes for the first-team.

On 14 February 2011, Sterling scored five goals for Liverpool's youth team in a 9–0 win over Southend United

Southend United F.C.

Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...

 in the FA Youth Cup

FA Youth Cup

The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...

. On 1 August 2011, Sterling came on for the first team in a pre-season friendly against Vålerenga in place of Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool and the England national team. Primarily a winger, Downing has previously played for Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.-Middlesbrough:...

.

International career

Sterling has represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 level. He is also eligible to play for Jamaica, his country of birth, and his mother Nadine has stated that she would like to see him play for Jamaica

Jamaica national football team

The Jamaica national football team is the national team of Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. After decades in CONCACAF obscurity, they gained many fans throughout the world after they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup...

 at international level.

Sterling was selected in the England

England national under-17 football team

-Elite Qualifying Group 3:-Group stage:-Fifth place play-off:-FA International U17 Tournament:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship qualifying round....

 squad for the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup

2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup

The 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the fourteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the eleventh played since the change in age limits from under 16s to Under 17s in 1991. It was held in Mexico with games being played amongst various venues between 18 June and 10 July 2011...

. He scored a long-range goal in England's opening 2–0 win against Rwanda in Pachuca

Pachuca

Pachuca, formally Pachuca de Soto is the capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of which the city serves as municipal seat...

. He also scored against Argentina

Argentina national under-17 football team

Argentina national U-17 football team is the representative of Argentina within all FIFA sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level.-Honours:*South American Under-17 Football Championship*Winner : 1985, 2003....

 in the second round in a game where England won 4–2 on penalties.

Personal life

Sterling grew up in the Maverley area of Kingston and was raised by his grandmother. He attends Rainhill High School

Rainhill High School

Rainhill High School Media Arts College is a purpose built 11-18 comprehensive secondary school in Rainhill, Merseyside, England. The school is the official Liverpool F.C...

 in Rainhill

Rainhill

Rainhill is a large village and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England.Historically a part of Lancashire, Rainhill was formerly a township within the ecclesiastical parish of Prescot, and hundred of West Derby...

, Merseyside

Merseyside

Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...

.

External links

• Profile at liverpoolfc.tv