Is Raheem Sterling a Manchester City legend?
Raheem Sterling’s switch to Chelsea has caused anarchy among the Manchester City fanbase…
Whilst some are annoyed with the club, others are content and trust the decision made by Sterling, Pep and the board.
But in this piece, we’ll be looking at whether the decision to sell Sterling was correct, whilst determining whether the legacy he leaves behind gratifies him with the status of a Manchester City Club Legend - comment down below if you believe this to be true.
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Under-valued Sterling
In Raheem Sterling, we’re talking about a technical and direct player who has managed to score a significant amount of goals, despite possessing some inefficiencies in the final third.
The last two seasons have seen the England-international finish as the player who has missed the most big chances, having missed 13 big chances last season and a further 13 in the season prior.
But, for all of his inefficiencies up-top, you cannot argue with the numbers he has produced over the last few seasons.
Out of his seven Premier League campaigns in a Manchester City shirt, Sterling has netted 10 or more goals in five of those seasons. And he also netted 17 or more goals in three consecutive Premier League campaigns during that time-span.
Quite frankly, for his level of output, he is an underrated asset.
But, were Pep and the City board still right to sell him?
Selling Sterling
Without stating the obvious, selling a forward who is approaching his prime years to a Premier League title rival is not the smartest decision.
But, in fairness, Jack Grealish offers a similar style up-top, whilst the arrival of January signing Julian Alvarez is also there to soften the blow, with both players employing a direct attacking style.
From a player perspective, it’s a move that comes with a lot of risk.
With the World Cup just around the corner, there are no guarantees that the 27-year-old will fit the style of Thomas Tuchel’s abrupt Chelsea side.
Having made 30 appearances in the league, starting 23 of those games, Sterling has been granted an adequate chance in the side by Pep and made a further 17 appearances with cup competitions included.
There was no real need to move from his or City’s perspective, but the decision has been made by the player, which brings us onto the main point.
Is Raheem Sterling a Man City Legend?
There have been some rather odd debates from Football Twitter on Raheem Sterling’s status at Manchester City.
According to Google’s definition, a legend is “an extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field.”
But in football, the definition takes a slight twist.
There are of course various ways that clubs base this prestige on, with aspects like; overall impact at the club, time spent at the club, silverware won with the club and of course most goals/assists at the club.
On that basis, the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany are among the most recent City players who have achieved legendary status at the club.
Traditionally, the highest and second-highest goalscorers in a club’s history automatically embed themselves into the Hall of Fame, so to speak.
So, focusing on this theme, the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs who are the first and second-highest Premier League goalscorers in Manchester United’s history, respectively, happen to be legends at Old Trafford. It’s the same at Chelsea, with the likes of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba again ranked as the highest and second-highest Premier League goalscorers in the club’s history - a feat which has consequently regarded them as legends.
So, with 225 Premier League appearances made in a City career that has seen him work his way up as the club’s second-highest Premier League goalscorer ever with 91 goals in Manchester City’s most successful period in their history, Raheem Sterling is undeniably a Manchester City Club Legend, for his impact, time spent, silverware won, and of course his all important goal contributions.