Premier League historians will sing songs about Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling‘s synergy – but it surely wasn’t at all times so fluid.
In truth, Manchester City‘s Belgian maestro has revealed he totally anticipated Sterling to be “a d***head” after they each moved to the Etihad in the summertime of 2015. But over time, it grew to become clear to the City linchpin that he’d been misled relating to his team-mate’s precise character.
Former Liverpool winger Sterling has been unjustly focused by sure shops prior to now, which have criticised his tattoos or painted his way of life in an unfair mild. And De Bruyne has admitted even he was hoodwinked by that misrepresentation after attending to know the England star.
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“I am a brutally honest person. So I will let you in on a little secret. Before I came to Manchester City, I didn’t really know what to make of this Raheem Sterling guy,” the 32-year-old wrote for The Players’ Tribune. “I had never met him, and from what I’d read about him in the English press, I thought he was going to be a very different character.
“I assumed. . .nicely. . .I didn’t suppose he’d be a dangerous man, actually. But the tabloids have been at all times claiming that he was boastful. So I assume I assumed he’d be … what do the English name it? A little bit of a d***head, perhaps?”
Which footballer (present or former) has probably the most deceptive repute? Let us know within the feedback part under.
(Image: Manchester City FC through Getty Images)
It helps that De Bruyne and Sterling – who joined Chelsea in 2022 – went on to perform wonders collectively at City, together with 4 Premier League titles, an FA Cup, 5 Carabao Cups and a Champions League runner-up end. But it wasn’t the soccer facet of issues that satisfied the previous to vary his thoughts.
De Bruyne continued: “Then I received to City and I truly met Raheem, and we’d discuss a bit after coaching, and I assumed, ‘wait, this man appears actually cool? What’s the story right here?’
(Image: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
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“Truthfully, I don’t have many close friends — inside or outside of football. It takes me a really long time to open up to people. But over time, I got closer to Raheem, because our sons were born around the same time, so they would always play together. I really got to know Raheem, and I recognised what a smart and genuine person he is. He couldn’t be more different from what the tabloids were saying.
(Image: Manchester City FC through Getty Ima)
“This is the real truth: Raheem is one of the nicest, most humble guys I’ve met in football.”
Despite now not sharing a dressing room with each other, it is clear De Bruyne continues to carry his outdated comrade in excessive esteem. Proof if ever it was wanted to not consider the whole lot one reads.