Sometimes you have to think about yourself. It may not be what they teach you in the youth team, but Raheem Sterling realized that there comes a moment when you have to put your interests above your club’s.The English winger told Sky Sports that his time at Manchester City was great but ended on a sour note, with rage and disappointment. Even though he was doing everything to keep his place in the starting eleven. During his final season at the Etihad Stadium, the 27-year-old star featured 30 times in City’s title-winning campaign. Still, just 23 of those were starts, leading Sterling to conclude his sacrifices were not being reciprocated.”Everyone wants to feel wanted, and football is no different. When you play your heart out, sacrifice some of your kids’ birthdays, and then get treated in a certain way, it’s disappointing. At the time, I was fuming, raging, but it’s gone, it’s in the past, and I can only focus on the present, which is now, here at Chelsea, and the opportunity I’ve got here to go out and showcase my talents once again.”##NAJAVA_MECA_6580702##So, what was the problem?”Misunderstandings, contracts were running down. It was a shame to see how it ended because I had such a great time there. Many things came into play for many reasons, but I wasn’t complaining. I was ready to challenge and, as you can see, even with some of the performances I put in, you couldn’t guarantee yourself a place, so it just didn’t make sense to fight a battle you can never win.”🗣️ “It’s a blessing in disguise.”Raheem Sterling says Chelsea have restored his happiness for football after he was left fuming by how his Manchester City career ended 🔵 pic.twitter.com/Hi6CWCltR6— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 20, 2022 It was the right time to move on, says Sterling. And not just because he needed a fresh challenge – but because he was starting to feel genuinely unhappy at the Etihad Stadium.”If you are not happy playing your football, you’ve got to look at other options to get that happiness back, and that’s exactly what I have done. It was the right time for me to move on. I wouldn’t stay part of something I knew I couldn’t give my all. There comes a time when you’ve got to think about yourself, what’s best for yourself, and what you want for the future. That’s the sole reason why I am here at Chelsea.”ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 3SaturdayTottenham – Wolverhampton 1-0 (0-0)/Kane 64/Crystal Palace – Aston Villa 3-1 (1-1)/Zaha 7, 58, Mateta 71 – Watkins 5/Everton – Nott.Forest 1-1 (0-0)/Gray 88 – Johnson 81/Fulham – Brentford 3-2 (2-1)/Reid 1, Palhinha 20, Mitrovic 90 – Norgaard 44, Toney 71/Leicester – Southampton 1-2 (0-0)/Maddison 54 – Adams 68, 84/Bournemouth – Arsenal 0-3 (0-2)/Odegaard 5, 11, Saliba 54/Sunday 16.00: (6.25) Leeds (4.00) Chelsea (1.55)16.00: (2.35) West Ham (3.30) Brighton (3.35)18.30: (8.50) Newcastle (4.50) Man.City (1.40)Monday 22.00: (5.70) Man.Utd. (4.20) Liverpool (1.63)***odds are subject to change
