At the age of 19, Raheem Sterling has already achieved things that are beyond what people of his age can achieve. He played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and currently stars for English club Liverpool. The Jamaican-born winger has a lot of upsides in his game according to critics. If it is Brendan Rodgers you will ask, he thinks Sterling can become like one of the best footballers to day, Ballon D'Or 2014 nominee and favourite Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I would argue that, at 19, Raheem has had a similar impact on the game to Ronaldo at the same age," the Liverpool manager said of his player.
"Ronaldo came to this country as an 18-year-old with Manchester United and made an immediate impact. And in the last couple of years, I'd say that Raheem has made a similar impact at the beginning of his career."
Liverpool lost to Real Madrid in their group stage match for the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League just last month. However, he believes that they still got something from that match, especially for Sterling. Rodgers thinks that it was the perfect time for his young player to emulate the play of the two-time Ballon D'or winner and Portuguese star.
"Now it's about Raheem going to the next level. The first part of the learning curve is getting into the team and establishing yourself as a player and earning respect. Raheem has done that - and now hopefully he will move on to the next level like Ronaldo did.
"Raheem certainly won't find a better role model. Ronaldo lives his life as a professional and his stats dictate everything. As a footballer, he is super-efficient."
Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved a lot at the English Premier before moving to La Liga's Real Madrid. In his six years with the Manchester United, the 29-year old football superstar collected three national trophies and a number of individual awards, including the 2008 Ballon D'or, the award given to world's best player during a football calendar.
If Raheem Sterling will stay honest with his training, he might get one Ballon D'or, too, because that is what Ronaldo did to get to where he is now.
