How much Wembley means to him can be seen on the forearm of England’s national soccer player Raheem Sterling. A boy is tattooed there. It’s a small sterling, he’s wearing a jersey with the number ten and a ball under his arm – and he’s looking at the football temple with the huge steel arch.
Sterling walked past the North West London arena countless times as a teenager. He grew up not far from her. Even then, he dreamed of scoring a goal for England in this stadium. He has already succeeded in doing this three times at this European Championship. The 26-year-old secured the group victory in the preliminary round for the Three Lions with his goals against Croatia (1-0) and the Czech Republic (1-0) practically single-handedly. The Manchester City winger was also successful in the 2-0 round of 16 against Germany. When Sterling hits, Wembley shakes.
So it has always been at the EM. “I’ve always said that if I play at a big tournament at Wembley, I’ll score – in my back garden ??”, he said after the opening win against the Croatians.
Sterling obviously feels at home in his garden. Fans and the media did not even necessarily expect the attacker to be among coach Gareth Southgate’s starting line-up. England has offensive stars like Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford. He had previously experienced a difficult season in Manchester. First he lost the trust of coach Pep Guardiola, then in the important games his regular place at Foden. In the Champions League final, Sterling was the first choice, City lost 1-0 to Chelsea.
In Lineker’s footsteps
Southgate always held onto him. Now Sterling is only the second player in English history to score the first three goals for the Three Lions in a major tournament. Previously, only Gary Lineker had succeeded in doing this at the 1986 World Cup. But unlike Lineker in Mexico 35 years ago, Sterling is allowed to play in his living room at this European Championship.
Whether Sterling can do it away at a major tournament remains to be seen today. Then the English will not be allowed to play in their beloved home ground for the first time, the quarter-finals against Ukraine will take place in Rome. Upon reaching the semi-finals, Sterling would then be able to return to his garden with his team, and the final will also be played on July 11 at Wembley.
As a child, he dreamed of “being the king of Wembley one day,” Sterling said a few days ago. He was recently awarded the knightly order for his social commitment. Should he shoot the English to the European Championship title in his stadium, they might put a crown on him too.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
