One of the most heart-warming experiences in life for me has always been to sit down with fellow football fans and share personal stories regarding the beautiful game. I remember sitting down at a mamak here in Malaysia with one of my close friends a couple of years ago, sipping on tea at an ungodly hour as I listened to how his love for Manchester United grew from his bearing witness of the historic 1999 European come-back against Bayern Munich. As his face morphed into a massive grin at the word ‘treble’, another friend of mine had already began telling us about how he used to beg his dad growing up to get him Newcastle United kits on a yearly basis, and how even the unfortunate purchase of replica jerseys from which the sponsor logos would rub off after a few washes did little to test his patience.
Amidst the ensuing laughter, I remember I began to fade away from the moment for a second to think of my own story to tell. I had none regarding my support for a club, nor about the struggles of acquiring jerseys in South East Asia. But I did have one, which bore little significance at the time, but in retrospect has become one of my greatest and most frequently told. It was a story of faith, both that of mine in a player I did not know, and of a new manager in the capabilities of his younger players.
“Do you guys know about Raheem Sterling?” I inquired, to shaking heads.
About a week prior to that night I had gone to visit Tom, another friend of mine, on a particularly hot and stuffy afternoon. Our initial plan was to head out for lunch, yet ten seconds after stepping outside and feeling like slices of bread at the mercy of a particularly powerful toaster, we decided to kill time and play FIFA ’12 instead. Having grown accustomed to the button combinations required to race past the loading screens and such, we found ourselves quickly at the squad selection screen. I had taken a full strength Chelsea side and chose not to tinker with the default line up. Tom in his infinite wisdom, however, was still flicking through the reserve squad.
“I want to use… that guy, Raheem Sterling” Tom’s voice trailed off. “Put him in your fantasy team. He’s having a good pre-season, he’s fast and he can dribble and pass well”.
“Raheem who?” I inquired.
“Sterling. I’m telling you, keep an eye on him and put him in your team for the season” Tom replied after a short delay.
Not one to back down from a challenge, I accepted. Like many, at the time I had no idea who Sterling was nor cared much for the pre-season form of a 16 year old. Brendan Rodgers had after all made the announcement that Liverpool were now in the second year of his three year plan, and that it would take time for the players, particularly the youngsters, to settle in together and to churn out the results needed for a return to Europe.
Liverpool as a club was truly in transition, yet by the season’s end, Rodgers’ words seemed to have been steeped in humility. Though the Reds’ Uruguayan forward Suarez had grabbed all the headlines with his 30 plus goal tally by the end of that season, it was Sterling who I could not help but admire as he quietly notched 2 goals and 5 assists in 22 starts for the side, helping me to pip my mates in the Fantasy leagues time and time again. His dribbling and his running were not so much laced with particular flair as they were with intention, and he seemed to play without the weight of any expectations on his shoulders. The young Jamaican Englishman in whom I had involuntarily placed my faith was now showing me just how important faith can be, and his determination and will to do better was a direct reflection of the modern day Liverpool under Rodgers.
The following season, despite expectations being intentionally kept low by Rodgers, Liverpool excelled game after game and Sterling progressed astronomically to the delight of my fantasy football chances. His 9 goals, 7 assists and a passing accuracy exceeding 80% turned his ownership in Fantasy Football from 10% to 35% by the end of the season, and there truly was no looking back.
“So it was a coincidence then. You guys couldn’t eat so you found out about Sterling?” my friends at the mamak asked as I finished up my story.
I couldn’t help but laugh – they were right, I did get to know of Sterling due to a coincidence. But my faith in him was earned entirely by the player himself, and has not waned from that fateful day. Today, he has already scored thrice and assisted twice with 31 domestic games still to go. The media have described his shoulders as having to hold up too much weight, but it does not seem to affect the young man.
And whenever I see Tom around, I always nod and smile in remembrance of the day I began my journey toward having more faith.
Other posts by Keeshaanan Sundaresan
