When you are showing some good performances in your teenage, it is obvious that peoples would start comparing you with any great player and this is not bad either coz it gives a kind of confidence and motivation to player to continue his career in tune with what others expect from him. Liverpool’s sensational 19-year-old Raheem Sterling is one such player who is on the radar of many sides this season thanks to his magnificent display of ball holding technique that forced Brendan Rodgers to compare him with none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. Liverpool boss, who has seen Ronaldo during his teenage, said recently that Sterling could be the next Ronaldo if he continues playing with same pace and form. This is also a coincident that both Liverpool and Real Madrid are going to face each other in Championship League clash this Tuesday hence this statement could also be intentionally made at a perfect timing as a part of a well-planned mind game from league manager and if we look at their last faceoff, Ronaldo made an impressive start that eventually led them win by 3-0 and Rodgers was then highly impressed with the way Ballon d’Or winner ruled the field.
What he said recalling that game is, “It started for him in our game when I saw him training the night before the game. It was hammering it down and it was freezing cold, and I saw images of him later on that evening and the next day and he was smiling, he was happy.
“I saw him before the start of the game and he was stood there, just taking all of it in, drinking his water and probably loving being back in England again, and when he was ready to go to work he threw the bottle away and he went to work. It is a joy to see someone who puts so much into their game get their rewards. It’s not by accident. The hours he puts in to practice to work to get his body right to prepare to look after himself, it’s an absolute joy to see that talent.”
While comparing both Portuguese to that of Jamaican, he added, “You would argue that at 19 Raheem has had a similar impact. Ronaldo came to the country as an 18-year-old, and certainly in these last couple of years Raheem has made a similar impact at the beginning of his career.
“It’s now about going to those next levels with the second part of his curve. The first part is coming in and establishing yourself as a young player — it’s not easy earning that respect. Now hopefully he’ll move onto the levels.”