Raheem Sterling hits back at critics: 'People hate what they don’t even know'
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ByEurosport
Updated 22/06/2018 at 08:34 GMT
Raheem Sterling has hit back at his critics in a powerful piece penned for the Players Tribune.
England's midfielder Raheem Sterling attends a open media day at St George's Park in Burton-on-Trent on June 5, 2018, ahead of their international friendly football matches against Costa Rica.
Image credit: Getty Images
The 23-year-old has been widely criticised by some sections of the media for a variety of non-issues over the past few years.
The Manchester City and England forward has often remained silent in the media but has chosen to respond in a personal piece in which he dives deep into his own history and upbringing.
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Raheem Sterling of England holds his ankle during a training session as part of the England media access at Spartak Zelenogorsk Stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2018 on June 13, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Image credit: Getty Images
Sterling touches upon the death of his father, the sacrifices his mother and sister made for him and the mis-representation of him as a person within some areas of the media.
“You know … it’s sad that I even have to say this, but I’m going to say it anyway.” Sterling said in the piece.
“There’s a perception in certain parts of the media that I love “bling.” I love diamonds. I love to show off. I really don’t understand where that comes from. Especially when I bought my mum a house, it was unbelievable what some people were writing. I think it’s really sad that people do that. They hate what they don’t even know.
“A few years ago, I would let it get to me. I’d be saying to my mum, “Why are they picking on me?”
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Raheem Sterling of England looks on prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between Tunisia and England at Volgograd Arena on June 18, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia.
Image credit: Getty Images
“But now, as long as my mum and my sister and my kids don’t have any stress, I’m good.
“If people want to write about my mum’s bathroom in her house, all I have to tell you is that 15 years ago, we were cleaning toilets in Stonebridge and getting breakfast out of the vending machine. If anybody deserves to be happy, it’s my mum. She came to this country with nothing and put herself through school cleaning bathrooms and changing bed sheets, and now she’s the director of a nursing home.
"And her son plays for England.”
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