Raheem Sterling speaks out about ‘degrading’ media treatment

Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has hit out at media outlets that have degraded him during his career.

Sterling has been a subject of great interest for tabloid publications in the UK with certain outlets repeatedly targeting him for a perceived lavish lifetsyle and the England international has said that the characterisations were 'hurtful' when he first started as a professional footballer.

“From the very start of my career, there has been a perception of a flashy kid from London: loves cars, loves the flashy lifestyle,” Sterling said in an interview with the New York Times. “I’m not saying I’m a saint or anything, but that is the complete opposite of who I am. “[Fans] do not know me. They will define me by what they read about me; that is how they will treat me. When people are making the public believe you are a character you aren’t, that is hurtful, and it is degrading.”

Sterling also brought up a specific example of several newspapers covering his car purchases and the notion that he wanted one for every day of the week, which he denied and said that he owned six cars between the ages of 17 and 23 and sold some of the cars before purchasing new vehicles. He said that there is a double standard between black and white players and that different narratives are made for different races.

“It is not just me,” he added. “Whenever you see a report on a black player or a black entertainer it has to end up with money, or bling, or cars, or something flashy. With a successful white person, it is nice, short, sweet, what a lovable person. Name me one white player who is thought of as ‘blingy.’”