On the train to Manchester I get a message from a colleague: “You should listen to this.” It is an hour-long BBC football podcast debating the question “Is Raheem Sterling the most influential sportsperson in Britain?” I click on the link. It is like listening to a discussion about a statesman or cultural icon, not the 24-year-old I see two hours later, walking across a football field to meet me in shorts, white T-shirt, Dele Alli baseball cap, ankle socks and trainers. The bare legs show the gun tattoo that sparked one of the many negative press orgies at Sterling’s expense in the days before he morphed, in their eyes, from greedy, cocky, flashy king of bling to, well, a cultural icon.
I had met him a few weeks earlier at the BT Sport Industry Awards, where amid the great and the good of the vast business of sport he picked up The Integrity And Impact Award. PFA Young Player Of The Year and FWA Footballer Of The Year followed. Trophies, trophies, trophies. Medals, medals, medals. Influence, influence, influence.
In the build-up to the FA Cup final, in which Sterling scored twice in a six-goal victory against Watford that secured Manchester City the first ever domestic treble by an English men’s team (“The women did it first,” as manager Pep Guardiola reminded us), Gary Lineker argued that Sterling was, off-field, “perhaps the most influential player in the game” and Ian Wright launched into a paean of praise for the way Sterling had tackled the issue of racism.
Influence. Integrity. Social impact. Not words that get associated too often with the modern multimillionaire Premier League footballer. As we meet he has just been asked to go to New York to speak at a Wall Street Journal conference. Charities and anti-racism groups are begging for his attention and support, and the benefit of association with a profile any politician would die for – this just a couple of years after a period when you couldn’t pick up a paper without reading about something Sterling had done to offend the tabloid morality of modern Britain. Eating a Greggs pasty... in a Bentley. Shock. Flying on Easyjet. Horror. The favourite thrown up in my research was this: “Raheem Sterling treats himself to a spot of breakfast despite missing out on being crowned Young Player Of The Year the night before”. Was he supposed to starve?
It was the racism wot did it. Racism, Sterling is in no doubt, was largely responsible for the negative profile and his decision to speak out about it the reason for the turnaround. For the latter, he can thank a small group of middle-aged Chelsea fans – now banned – whose alleged racist abuse as he went to retrieve the ball for a throw-in led to a night of soul-searching followed by the posting on social media of a few thoughts that sparked a huge debate he never saw coming. He chose not to write about his own experience the night before, but instead focus on the broader context: the way that young black players are covered compared with their white counterparts. White Phil Foden buys a house for his mother: sweet, generous, family man, lovely story. Black Tosin Adarabioyo does the same: flashy, overpaid, bling, why is he able to afford that? It was a moment.
It now means Sterling is asked for his views on issues well beyond football. Yet he insists he is not political, doesn’t follow politics closely, just said what he thought on racism and intends to keep doing so.
Oh, and then there’s football. He is a very, very good footballer. The top clubs had been clamouring to get him since he was a small child growing up in Wembley and his mother advised him to ignore the entreaties of Arsenal and instead go to Queens Park Rangers. Still the big guns came for him and when he was 15 he was off to Liverpool. The talent was never in doubt. What was sometimes in doubt, there and in his first year at City, was whether he would make the most of it. His recent form for club and country has provided the answer, though it is clear he shares the Guardiola hunger for constant improvement, the belief there is always more to achieve.
As we talked at City’s training centre, there were moments when I felt strongly that all the hype was justified, that there was something special about this guy. And there is. But there were also moments when it struck me that he is in many ways still very young, younger than all my children, yet managing a huge profile, a big responsibility and, now, huge expectations on and off the field and fatherhood too. And yet he’s already thinking about his future beyond his playing days.
The Abu Dhabi-backed Etihad Campus, as it is rather grandly called, is like nothing else I have ever seen in football. It is hard to see how any footballer could resist such state-of-the-art facilities as a professional environment. Sterling looks like he will be around these parts for a long time. “Oh, we do love Raheem,” the Manchester United-supporting receptionist told me. But the Jamaican-born player, whose mother moved to England after Sterling’s father was murdered when his son was just two, hopes one day to play overseas, preferably somewhere with Jamaican not Manchester weather. And before the back pages erupt into a frenzy of “Sterling’s off to Barça” or “Madrid, here I come”, smiles and laughter intruded on that part of our discussion (“bantz” I believe it is called in the dressing room, with plenty of “lol”), especially when he was explaining why he would struggle in Germany. He said he had heard too many chats between German internationals Leroy Sané and Ilkay Gundogan to think he could ever master their language.
But fear not, City fans, he is not going anywhere any time soon. He looks to me like a round peg in a round hole, very much Manchester City’s – and football’s – man of the moment.
AC: Do you feel you’ve gone from what you once described as “the hated one” to the loved one? There is a lot of love out there at the moment.
RS: Yeah, to be honest, there is. I’m grateful for people to truly see me for who I am really.
AC: Did you plan your way out of it or has it just been accidental?
RS: No, it has been authentic, all natural, nothing forced, nothing planned. I think the most important thing is me opening up a bit more and getting people to see me in a different light.
AC: I listened to a BBC podcast on the train up and I promise you it was like they were talking about Nelson Mandela. They were comparing you to Muhammad Ali in terms of impact.
RS: I don’t know about that!
AC: Did you expect that kind of thing would happen as a result of what you’ve said about racism?
RS: No, not for one moment. I never thought it would have such a massive impact. It’s great to know people are listening. The one thing about people in this country is they are always willing to listen. I’m really grateful for that.
AC: It was interesting when you did the Instagram post. It wasn’t about you. It was about another player, wasn’t it?
RS: Yeah, I didn’t want it to be self-centred. People knew what happened the day before and I just thought I had those pictures [of the Mail Online stories about Foden and Adarabioyo] already on my phone. I’ve always thought it was
an issue and I thought, “Let me use this example to bring light to this situation that I felt I needed to speak up on.”
AC: What is the issue?
RS: I was thinking of the wording, the subtle messages that newspapers use, that’s had a massive effect on how the public perceive a lot of young black players, because you start associating the words “bling” at the end of sentences, you start associating subtle words, so people think, “OK, this person is this sort of character.” If the public don’t see you on a regular basis and don’t know you, that’s what their perception of you is going to be. That’s who they think you are and that’s how they’re going to judge you unless you’re on the football field.
AC: Did you feel that those guys at Chelsea wouldn’t be doing that if it wasn’t embedded in our culture?
RS: I’d say for sure. Everyone naturally judges people anyway. I definitely know that they had a perception of me and probably not a good one.
AC: Say that happened again and again and again, or an opponent was being racist or another set of fans was being racist, would you ever think about walking off the pitch?
RS: I wouldn’t, not during a game. If it was a continuous thing happening to me, after a while I might go on strike, but I wouldn’t want the game to stop and come off the field.
AC: Did it affect you that day for the rest of that game?
RS: No. You want to show them that you’re bigger than that. I’m not the sort of person to show their emotions. I try to prove them wrong and make that person hate me even more for doing the right thing.
AC: When were you first aware of racism?
RS: The first time I came face to face with it was when I was walking home from school in Liverpool.
AC: Not growing up in Wembley?
RS: Never. My school was multicultural. The first time I ever got abuse was in Liverpool. I had just been bought from QPR. Someone called my name – my full name – so I thought, “Oh, they probably know me.” At this point people were starting to recognise me a bit. He says, “Can I speak to you for a second?” I said, “Yeah, no problem.” So I walk across the road and then he says the n-word and he head-butts me. And I was scratching my head thinking, “Did he just do this?” And then I took care of the rest.
AC: You took care of the rest?
RS: Yeah. I took care of the rest.
AC: So did he regret it?
RS: A hundred per cent he regretted it.
AC: What’s really interesting about what you’ve done is that you’ve called out the media and normally people who really call out the media end up getting done over even worse by the media. But you seem to be getting a better press, in part because you’ve called them out.
RS: I wasn’t trying to say, “You lot are this, you lot are that.” I was just trying to put a point across just to do better in newspapers... It was more “Just open your eyes and give people a fair chance.” It wasn’t having a go; it was more trying to do it in a way that was calm. And people got the message.
AC: Who did you talk to before you did it?
RS: No one. I just said to myself this is something I feel I need to do.
AC: If you’d have thought it was going to go as big as it did, would you have discussed it with somebody else?
RS: To be fair, when I finished writing it I gave it to [Fabian] Delph and then I gave it to Vinny [recently departed club captain Vincent Kompany] to check it a little bit.
AC: Are they the brains of the squad?
RS: They are two people I love and respect who tell me exactly how it is and they’re honest with me. They both loved it and from their reaction I thought, “Yeah, cool.”
AC: There wasn’t a part of Kompany that thought this would take you into space you’ve got to be careful about?
RS: No. He said, “It’s perfect and I like where you’re going with it.”
AC: You didn’t tell the manager?
RS: No. I didn’t feel like I needed to tell him.
AC: The last person I interviewed for GQ with a City connection was Mario Balotelli. He had that T-shirt, “Why always me?” Was there a point when you were thinking, “Why always me?” with some of the crazy stuff in the press?
RS: There were for sure times I was thinking, “Just leave me alone!”
AC: What was the worst?
RS: It started to get petty, so silly. I think the worst one for me was they used pictures of every car I’ve bought from about 17 until I was 22 or 23. I drive into training, so they could take pictures and use these cars bought over the years and said, “This is his car on Monday. This is his car on Tuesday. This is Raheem’s car on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.” But it was cars I’ve had, sold, then got a new one. They made it like I had one for every day of the week. For me, it was like, “What are you trying to get at here?”
AC: And what are they trying to get at? They’re trying to make you look like you’re the bling kid.
RS: Just going wild, running around spending money on cars.
AC: How many cars have you got now?
RS: I’ve got one. I’ve just changed it again.
AC: What’s this changing car thing about?
RS: I hadn’t changed my car in a while! I just thought I needed a smaller car at this moment, so I got a GMC.
AC: Do you like being wealthy?
RS: I’m just grateful. When you get to this sort of level, this is the earning you can have. When I was at QPR it was just for pure love of playing football. As you get older you start to understand what comes into play. I’m grateful I can put my mum – the most important person in my life – in a position that she doesn’t have to work again, even though she still chooses to sometimes, and just to be able to support my family.
AC: Do you think a lot of the negative press was about the idea of this young, brash, cocky black kid having all this money, like there is something wrong with it?
RS: There was a point when I left Liverpool I actually thought, “Why should this little black kid have this money?” That’s at one point how I felt, the stories that were coming out... Why should he?
AC: Do you think the wealth in the game has made it harder for fans to feel they are connected to a club?
RS: I wouldn’t say that. When I was at Liverpool there was a great atmosphere with fans. It is a family orientated club. You have to take time out and show your appreciation. But no, I definitely feel connected to the fans.
AC: I want to know whether the top clubs now are way better than any national side.
RS: [Laughs.]
AC: All right. Could City beat France?
RS: Yeah. If we played France, we could beat them.
AC: How do you explain the difference in quality?
RS: For one, you’re here every day. In the national team you’re there seven to eight days. You still have top players, but you don’t get the same time with the manager. If I was with England every day it would be different and I think the team would play better. If you’re there for ten days, you train four or five of those days and you’re recovering two to three of them. So you’re not really on the training pitches, compared to here, where you’re on the training pitches every single day, for a good ten months, plus preseason. So I think the massive thing is the time we have.
AC: Could you go through your team now and pick out half a dozen players who would be best in the world at what they do?
RS: Yeah. Or top three for sure. I’d say 75 to 80 per cent of our team are top three in the world in their positions.
AC: Tell me about the manager. What specifically has he done that has made you improve as a player?
RS: He has challenged me, never let me be comfortable. Every year he has bought a new winger. So for me it’s like, “Cool. OK. I’ve done OK.” And now, the last season, he’s just got another one.
AC: How do you feel when that happens? Say when Bernardo Silva came in, how did you hear about that?
RS: How did I hear? Like everybody else.
AC: On the news?
RS: Yeah. Like everybody else. Or we’d hear, “Oh, he might be getting so-and-so.” But like everybody else, when it’s confirmed, that’s when I hear it.
AC: He wouldn’t take you to one side and say, “Look, I’m bringing in this guy, but it doesn’t mean this, it doesn’t mean that”?
RS: No. You get on with it. We’re here for competition and once they come in you get to know who they are. You understand these are nice people like yourself and it brings the best out for the team.
AC: What motivates you more: love of winning or fear of losing?
RS: Winning.
AC: Before a big game, do you lie awake at night worrying about not winning?
RS: The more you think about it the worse it’ll be the next day. I don’t really think about the game until we get to the stadium.
AC: How does the manager deal with you when you play well and how does he deal with you when you play badly?
RS: To be honest, we haven’t had a lot of conversations this year, one on one. In his first year he spoke to me a lot more and, gradually, he just doesn’t say a lot to me unless it’s in a meeting with the team.
AC: And is that because he trusts you more now and knows you can work it out and do it yourself?
RS: Not work it out and do it myself, but I feel when he needs to speak to you, he will speak to you. You’ll get a text saying, “The gaffer wants to see you.” But it’s not very often this season. Actually, he pulled me after Leicester after missing the penalty, saying, “When you came on, I needed you at 100 and you weren’t at 100,” and asking why. I had to give my explanation.
AC: Well, if you miss a penalty you miss a penalty.
RS: Not just the penalty. He wasn’t happy in general. He wanted me to come on and change the game and win the game for us and I didn’t do that and he wasn’t happy with it.
AC: Is he very demanding?
RS: Yeah. He’s demanding, but it’s good. It makes you want to do better and – I don’t know how to explain this – makes you want to prove to him and show him every time you go on the field you’re playing for your position in his team, because of the numbers we have and the quality we have as well.
AC: Who are the leaders on the field?
RS: On the pitch, we’re not a shouting team, like, “Come on, guys.” The team is super relaxed in the dressing room, so chilled. There’s not a lot of shouting. Vinny, of course, the skipper, Fernandinho. But not everyone in the dressing room is shouting. We’re more chilled and when we get out on the pitch we do the talking.
AC: What’s been your career low point?
RS: Probably my first season at City, purely because I came in excited for my move here and then it went from “This kid is going to be the next whatever” and before making a mark I was written off. I was the golden boy six, seven, eight months before that, a big money move, and it’s kind of switched without even hitting a ball. Before I’ve even done anything it’s just “He’s not good enough.” I was like, “What’s going on?”
AC: Does that get to you?
RS: At first it did because I was 19, it was my first time as a professional football player and it’s a learning curve. Now you can say or do what you want and I wouldn’t take it in.
AC: Do you read the papers?
RS: It’s not something I go out of my way to do.
AC: Are you very honest with yourself about how you play?
RS: Oh, yeah, 100 per cent. There are times when I don’t score and I’m fuming because I played... you know how it is. And there have been times this season I scored and I think, “Oh, my God. Gosh, what did I do today?”
AC: You didn’t play well?
RS: Yeah. So I’m very harsh on myself.
AC: Do you agree you were a bit lucky at Burnley? [City won 1-0 with a goal judged millimetres over the line.]
RS: To be fair, it’s not the easiest place to go.
AC: Do you hate going there?
RS: Not hate, but it’s tough, in terms of the way they set up. The pitch is as dry as anything you’ve ever seen. You kick a ball and the ball just stops. It’s a difficult game physically.
AC: Do you think you’d ever want to play abroad?
RS: Looking at it now it’s like, Manchester, I love it. I love it here. This is one of the best clubs in the world and I’m here for the long haul. But you just don’t know what happens in the future. I’m still young and, like I say, I am loving every minute. Ever since I was a kid, 100 per cent it’s always been a dream of mine to play abroad somewhere. It would be nice one day to finish training and go home and sit in your garden and eat some dinner.
AC: Somewhere hot?
RS: Yeah, warm.
AC: So we’re talking Scotland?
RS: Yeah, I think I should do that. [Laughs.]
AC: Which other leagues do you look at and think, “They’re really good leagues”?
RS: I would need to see where it’s minimum 17C or 18C constantly.
AC: So we’re talking Spain? You don’t fancy Germany?
RS: Not really – the language barrier.
AC: You could learn it!
RS: It sounds very difficult. Spanish sounds like... “Hola! Raheem!” I feel that one I can definitely catch on. [Laughs.]
AC: You could learn German.
RS: I hear Leroy and Ilkay talking and sometimes I think they’re having me on. I’m like, “You lot are not speaking to each other. That’s not a language I could do.”
AC: All of your foreign teammates speak good English.
RS: I’ve got teammates who speak four, five, six different languages.
AC: You could do that. You’re a bright guy.
RS: I just think English people are comfortable. The language is comfortable, the country is comfortable. You get paid well.
AC: Are you political?
RS: No, not really.
AC: Not at all?
RS: No. I can’t get into that stuff.
AC: But don’t you think what you did was political? When you talked about race?
RS: If you put it that way. But it’s not something I get into, the politics. I listen but never really been big on that, no.
AC: Can we go back to your childhood?
RS: Yeah.
AC: You’ve got no memories of your father at all, presumably.
RS: Zero.
AC: How does that make you feel?
RS: Sometimes it’s tough, but everything happens for a reason. Now, having my own kids, I make sure I give them that love from the father figure that I didn’t have. And I think that’s probably helped me feel better as well.
AC: Do you think if he hadn’t been murdered, you might never have left Jamaica?
RS: Yeah, probably. I think that was a massive issue and that was like a door to open to say, “OK. Let’s try something new.”
AC: What was behind the killing?
RS: My mum hasn’t really spoken to me about it, to be honest. She just told me he was at a party and shots were fired and... yeah.
AC: Your mother came over first?
RS: Yeah. My mum came over first. I think my sister came up three months after and then I came probably a year and a bit after. I think I was about five.
AC: What were your first impressions of England?
RS: Cold. I remember having a massive jacket on. I see the pictures now with my auntie, who came over with me. I think that was like the worst day of her life, our life, because it was completely a different place. We were used to 20C, 29C, 30C and it was around Christmas, so it was really, really cold. At first it was tough. You know, school was different. I kind of got away with more in school here, but when I was in Jamaica it was zero tolerance. Belts. I think the government over there has brought that down now, but there were times it was brutal.
AC: When you’re playing at Wembley, it must be kind of weird when the bus is taking you there. Because that’s your childhood, isn’t it?
RS: Yeah, every time I go now it’s like it doesn’t feel real. I can’t remember what game it was, but we were driving with the England team and I just saw one of my friends going into his house and I called him and said, “Hello, I’ve just seen you,” and he was like, “Oh, that was you guys that just went, was it?”
AC: Have you stayed close to the people you grew up with?
RS: My five best mates are friends from my former class, all the way from year seven.
AC: Do you think not having known your father has made you a different sort of parent?
RS: Yeah. I think so.
AC: Are you conscious of the fact now that you’re bringing up your children that once you get to a certain level of fame they become fair game in the eyes of the media as well? Do you worry about that?
RS: Yeah, especially my daughter, living with her and having my eye on her every day. That is kind of scary. Even in Liverpool there were threats to her and stuff like that. So I worry more for her.
AC: Do you think the friendships that you form with teammates are real? These guys you play with now, how many do you reckon you will still be in touch with in 20 years’ time?
RS: To be honest, probably three or four. And I don’t think it’s stay in contact as in seeing them every summer or something. It’s probably once in a while: “How are you doing?” It’s hard to get close with your teammates.
AC: Is that because although you’re a team there is also an element of competition to it?
RS: Not competition, but we all do the same thing and I like to be around my friends that are normal guys. The one thing I can’t take is the ego. I like people that are just chilled. I’m not saying every player is, but everyone has their little diva moment.
AC: Do you have diva moments?
RS: I’m not a diva. But everyone has diva moments.
AC: What’s the biggest diva moment you’ve had at City?
RS: With the media guys. I like to mess around with them. You come out and they say you’ve got to do stuff and you pretend like you don’t want to do it. “I’m not doing it!”
AC: What about when you go into these big swanky five-star hotels and you play in the Champions League? You wouldn’t diva with the reception?
RS: No. Never. If I’m going to the restaurant, I just want to go with one of my normal friends and just be normal and chilled. I’m normally a diva to people I’m really close to, to annoy them, but they know I’m joking.
AC: When did you first know that you were going to be a very, very, very good footballer?
RS: Probably when I was at QPR, always playing years above. At QPR I was maybe 14 playing under-18s.
AC: Was it your mother that got you to go to QPR rather than the bigger clubs?
RS: Yeah, my mum, just purely looking out for me.
AC: But you could’ve gone to Arsenal?
RS: Yeah, I could have gone to Arsenal a couple of times, but it just hasn’t happened. I think she was thinking if I go there and then they don’t like me I might get disheartened. So I think she was looking out for me, saying it’s good to keep you around and if they do like you they will come back for you.
AC: And how old were you when you went to Liverpool?
RS: Fifteen. Yeah. That was unbelievable.
AC: Because?
RS: Because that was a big moment for me. I remember just going to QPR one day and they said, “You can’t play today.” And I said, “Why?” And they said, “You’re going up to Liverpool tomorrow.” I said, “Oh, OK.” I had to go to school the next day and I was like, “Guys, I’m sorry. I’m going to Liverpool. So I’m going to have to love you and leave you lot.” So that was kind of sick.
AC: What was it like settling in at Liverpool?
RS: I loved it. I loved it. [I lived in] an old-fashioned, lovely house. My house parents looked after me and treated me so well. The club put me in a lovely school. School every day, training, back home. I loved it.
AC: And then coming to City, are you a badge kisser?
RS: I’m not.
AC: You don’t kiss badges?
RS: No.
AC: What do you think of badge kissers?
RS: To be honest, if I scored a goal and in that moment I felt like kissing the badge I would, because it’s the team that matters. And for a team that’s given everything for you, of course I’d kiss the badge. But it’s like anything: everyone’s got ambitions, this club has ambitions... I remember my agent and I had a conversation, I can’t remember exactly how old I was, and he just told me, “This is a brutal sport at times. When you were 14 the coach didn’t have to give you a contract. When you were 16... What about the other kids that didn’t get their contract? How do you think they feel? So if you have the opportunity and you think it’s right for you to leave a club and that’s your dream, do it. Because if it’s the other way around, the club would do the exact same thing to you without thinking twice. They’re doing it for their best interests. So if there are points in your career that you really want to do something you feel, that’s what you’ve got to do.”
AC: It’s amazing you’re still only 24. To keep improving, do you think you’ve got to be setting yourself new goals and new horizons?
RS: Yeah, for sure. Every season it’s trying to do something better than last. We didn’t make it to the Champions League final but that’s something at this club we really want to do, so every year there have always got to be goals and from a young age I set out what I wanted to do. When I got into Liverpool I said if I haven’t won the Premier League by the time I’m 21 I need to look at my options and see what I’m doing there. I put that into place from a young age. And I came to City and won my first Premier League. It’s just good to know what I’ve set out to do – what we’ve set out as a team to do – is going as planned.
AC: Is there part of you that is starting to think about expanding into business and even what you do after you stop playing?
RS: Yeah, I’m loving my properties and loving that side of it. I was saying to Vinny, because he’s someone I look up to, how can there be so many football players and you don’t really hear any of them being billionaires or putting their money together and doing stuff? You don’t really hear about it.
AC: What do you make of the impact that social media is having on your world, football, and the world more generally?
RS: It’s good to be able to have that platform if you use it in the right way.
AC: But how much abuse do you get on social media?
RS: Oh, I haven’t got time to look.
AC: You don’t check it? Did you ever check it?
RS: When I left Liverpool and came here, for sure. I was looking at every detail, taking it in, thinking, “Why me?” and feeling sorry for myself. But you get on and now you just laugh.
AC: What do you think it says about the world that people think they can just abuse people like you or me or anyone else and now it’s out there instantly? Does it worry you?
RS: Yeah, it is cruel. And I think if there is an issue with people saying that then social media needs to protect their users more. If people are getting abused they need to do more for sure. There are a lot of young kids on there as well who see stuff they probably shouldn’t. I know I’m going to get stick. As long as it’s not malicious, with an intent to try to really degrade me or put the knife in me, I’m fine with the normal, regular jokes. But it’s when it gets malicious...
AC: Do you feel totally comfortable going out and about on your own?
RS: Yeah. I feel super comfortable. You always get online people, keyboard warriors. There are some people I see and I’m like, “I know you’re one of those guys behind the screen.” But now you see them and they’re like, “Oh, I love you and I’m a United fan,” and sometimes I’m like, “I know you’re one of them but you’re here now and it’s all love.” They get the enjoyment online. They get a thrill out of it.
AC: How important is your faith?
RS: Massive. Massive. Massive to me. I always give thanks for my life, always give thanks for my family’s life and I’m just really grateful for the position I’m in.
AC: Were you raised as a Christian?
RS: Yeah. My mum has always taught us and brought us up in the church. Liverpool was seen as a transition again and I was praying in the house and it opened my eyes even more to have faith.
AC: You’ve got no doubt God exists?
RS: I’ve got no doubt. Not one. I know for sure. Every day you wake up, you just look around and you don’t need to look any further than what you see. A lot of scientists, the cleverest people in the world tell you that there has to be a creator. And they need answers, but you just have to sometimes accept that it’s bigger than you and you have to leave it at that.
AC: And that’s what God means to you? He created the world?
RS: Yeah. Every day I look up – I don’t want to get into it – but you wake up, you see the trees. The trees give you your oxygen. They say if the sun was one inch more, we’d freeze to death... Everything is done to perfection. Your body is like a temple. Heaven is right here on earth. Right here, we are living in paradise.
AC: There are a lot of problems in the paradise.
RS: Yeah, for sure. I don’t want to get into it as I keep saying! But the Lord tells you this is not His world. This is...
AC: Our world, that He’s created for us.
RS: We have our own free will. Everyone has their free will; everyone has their choice. He’s given everyone on this planet their choice, everyone. Your parents grow you up to understand right from wrong. Every moment in your life you do something, you know if it’s right or wrong. You don’t need a book; you don’t need a religion to tell you something.
AC: If your body is a temple, why do you cover it with all these tattoos?
RS: [Laughs.] Yeah, for sure! As I said, everyone has their choice and everyone makes good choices and everyone makes bad choices. My mum despises some of these. The majority of my tattoos I finished before I was 19. The last couple were in the last year or so. It’s something she’s not happy with. It’s like alcohol – even tasting alcohol, she’s not happy. I remember for about six months she didn’t speak to me.
AC: When you drank?
RS: Yeah. I got bullied into drinking. I won’t say the player’s name, but I don’t think I’d have drunk if it wasn’t for that player. But, yeah, she didn’t speak to me for six months.
AC: Because you drank?
RS: Yeah. No one in my family drinks, apart from my uncle.
AC: You don’t drink at all?
RS: Not regularly.
AC: So why didn’t she speak to you? Was that because you were too young?
RS: No. She just said, “How can you grow
up in a house where you don’t see people drinking and now you’re going to pick up drinking? Where are you getting this from?”
AC: How many City players don’t have tattoos? It’s become a massive thing in football, hasn’t it?
RS: I think quite a few, though. Gundogan doesn’t have one. Vinny doesn’t have any. Quite a few actually. If I could go back, then I wouldn’t have any. It’s another thing that when you’ve started you can’t stop. If you get one you get another one.
AC: Have you stopped now?
RS: No. I know it’s wrong but it’s addictive now!
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