From the summit of the Premier League to the unknown: what happened to Raheem Sterling?
At just 31 years old
Just a few years ago, Raheem Sterling was one of the leading stars of English football, a prominent name in the battle among the Premier League's elite. Today, he faces a completely different reality. At 31, he is a player without a club, his career in sharp decline since he left Manchester City. So much for his promise on the day Arsenal unveiled him: "You will see the best of me."
His career took a different turn from that point on. Spells at Chelsea, Arsenal and Feyenoord all fizzled out, and now, at 31, he finds himself without a club and facing a legal case in England.
Police arrested Sterling last May after an incident with his car on the M3 motorway in Hampshire, on suspicion of dangerous driving, driving under the influence of drugs, possession of nitrous oxide and failing to provide a sample. He was released on bail with a driving ban.
That incident was the latest chapter in a difficult period for a player whose market value reached around 160 million euros in 2019.
Having shone with Liverpool and Manchester City, he moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2022. He soon fell out of the managers' plans, was left out of Enzo Maresca's thinking, and spent a season on loan at Arsenal.
North London offered no route back to his old standing. Sterling played 28 matches for Arsenal, starting 13, scoring one goal and providing five assists before returning to Chelsea.
In January 2026, Chelsea and Sterling ended his contract by mutual consent. He then moved to Feyenoord on a free transfer in February, closing a career that lasted nearly 14 years in the Premier League.
The Dutch experience did not last long. Sterling left Feyenoord after a short period and became a free agent once again.
He has not scored a goal since September 2024, and his appearances for Feyenoord amounted to little more than a handful before his exit.
A vast gap now separates Sterling's current situation from the career he built with Manchester City. He played 320 Premier League matches with Liverpool and City, was directly involved in 165 goals, and left for Chelsea after years laden with titles.
Today, Sterling faces a new stage of his career away from the pitch. From one of the leading stars of English football, he has become a player searching for a new club while the legal proceedings linked to the recent incident in England continue.
