Sterling just scored a goal worth more than gold to help Manchester City beat Schalke 3-2 in the first leg of round 1.8 of the Champion League. Sterling saved Man City many times in the final minutes of the match. This is the quality of a top superstar.
Coach Pep Guardiola has promised to help Sterling become the world's top player. At that time, many people probably were still skeptical about that promise. And time has answered those questions. Sterling is one of the best strikers in the Premier League with 12 goals and 9 assists.
Having joined Man City, Sterling was a promising young talent at that time. His strengths are only his speed as well as his ability to dribble the ball. Shooting ability, tactical thinking and efficiency are still very limited. He once admitted: "I used to be a ball driver. Dribbling the ball is meaningless if it does not help his teammates. This season I have played more effectively. This is my best season in terms of scoring efficiency.
Sterling's promotion is largely due to coach Pep Guardiola. He has helped Sterling promote his strengths and greatly improved his ability to effectively compete. Sterling under Pep has played in many different positions, from winger, virtual striker to number 10 position. simplicity and efficiency are what Pep has helped Sterling improve himself and advance remarkably.
Pep himself also acknowledged Sterling's progress: "He is making great strides in his career. Last season he played as well as the previous two seasons combined, this season Sterling continues to have an impressive start".
Sterling is playing extremely well in both scoring and creating opportunities for his teammates, he is very involved in the teams play.
Many former England top players have also praised Sterling's progress. Joe Cole, a former Chelsea player, admitted: "I think Sterling has risen to become a top player. There should be many compliments for Pep Guardiola and the Man City coaching staff for helping Sterling improve his level. He studies very well. But I believe he can reach a new level.
In the next 5 years, we can talk about Sterling as one of the great legends in Premier League history if he continues to win titles and score many goals".
Rio Ferdinand commented: He has all the important qualities of speed and power. But Sterling's accuracy in the final situations has improved. Sterling has become an excellent player. He wants to learn and Pep Guardiola is the one behind that success.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Sterling has reached the level to become one of the world's top players. At a relatively young age (24 years old), Sterling will progress even more strongly in the future.
