>
Raheem Sterling claims he was ‘fuming’ and ‘raging’ at his treatment by Manchester City during the end of his career at the Etihad.
The England international left City after seven years at the club to join Chelsea in a £47.5million deal.
And now the 27-year-old has lifted the lid on the end of his City chapter and how he felt ‘disappointed’ with how the curtain closed at the Etihad.
Raheem Sterling says ‘misunderstandings’ were a big factor in his £47.5m move to Chelsea
The England winger says he was left ‘fuming’ and ‘raging’ with his treatment at Man City
Talking to Sky Sports, Sterling said: ‘Everyone wants to feel wanted, football is no different.
‘When you play your heart out, sacrifice some of your kids’ birthdays, and then get treated in a certain way, it’s disappointing.
‘At the time I was fuming, raging, but it’s gone, it’s in the past and I can only focus on the present, which is now, here at Chelsea, and the opportunity I’ve got here to go out and showcase my talents once again.’
When asked on the factors that pushed his exit from the Etihad, Sterling said: ‘Misunderstandings, contracts running down. It was a shame to see how it ended in the end because I had such a great time there.
Sterling insists he ‘wasn’t complaining’ even during times he felt he was being unfairly treated
‘A lot of things came into play, a lot of reasons, but I wasn’t complaining, I was ready to challenge and, as you can see, even with some of the performances I put in, you couldn’t guarantee yourself a place so it just didn’t make sense to fight a battle you can never win.
‘As a player you always want to do your best and help your team, but when you don’t think things are going fairly, it’s always a disappointment.
‘If you are not happy playing your football you’ve got to look at other options to get that happiness back, and that’s exactly what I have done. It was the right time for me to move on. I wouldn’t stay part of something I knew I couldn’t give my all in.
‘It [City] is a fantastic club, it’s a club that wins lots of trophies, it’s a club that has helped my development massively in the past couple of years, but there comes a time when you’ve got to think about yourself, what’s best for yourself, and what you want for the future. That’s the sole reason why I am here [at Chelsea].’
Sterling became Todd Boehly’s (L) first major signing after taking over as Chelsea owner
Sterling became the first major signing of the Todd Boehly era when he joined in July and the winger has now claimed it was ‘how they approached me’ that swayed him.
He explained: ‘It was their intent, how they approached me. I wasn’t listening to promises, I was seeing action and I think that was one of the factors that made me really consider the football club, the way they showed me how important a role I could have here.
‘Looking back on what they have achieved here in the last couple of years, the finals they missed out on, the new owner taking over, it’s a team that is always competing on all fronts and I knew it would only get better. I didn’t need to make another choice.
‘It was a possibility I wouldn’t let pass. It’s a blessing in disguise, it’s another challenge and a challenge I’ll look back on at the end of my career and know I stepped up to the plate and I can be happy with myself.
‘The most part was just getting to play football week in, week out. It was the first time in my career experiencing that, it was kind of a shock, so I just wanted to get back playing and enjoying my football again. It was as simple as that, and I knew that once I could do that, I could be happy and show that on the field.’
Sterling says playing ‘football week in, week out’ was a huge factor in joining Chelsea
Sterling was born in Jamaica but raised in London, before making his name and carving a top-level career at first Liverpool then City.
The pacy forward returned to London with four Premier League titles under his belt, with new Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital having viewed him as their top target at the start of the summer.
He’s yet to open his goal-scoring account yet in the Premier League with the Blues, but will be hoping his luck might change when they travel to Elland Road to face Leeds on Sunday afternoon.