Jack Grealish has leapt to the defence of former Man City and England team-mate Raheem Sterling after he was subjected to brutal criticism on social media.
Sterling made his first appearance for Feyenoord off the bench in their 2-1 home triumph over Telstar on Sunday but looked understandably rusty after nine months away from competitive action.
Having been exiled by Chelsea before mutually agreeing a contract termination of his £325,000-a-week deal last month, Sterling still has a way to go before reaching full fitness again.
But little patience was afforded to him by one Instagram account called FootballPark, which has almost 100k followers.
They wrote that the 31-year-old looked like ‘Bambi on Ice’ and even suggested he should consider retiring.
The post read: ‘Raheem Sterling’s debut for Feyenoord was not exactly a success story – in fact, it looked like a veritable disaster from the Dutch club’s point of view.
Raheem Sterling (right) made his debut for Feyenoord on Sunday and received some criticism
‘The English winger looked like Bambi on ice.
‘On a downward spiral since 2022, lacking motivation, and seemingly unable to play under anyone who isn’t named Pep Guardiola, Sterling is well and truly into his twilight years.
‘Is it time to hang the boots up once and for all?’
The excessive reaction to what amounted to a 30-minute cameo drew plenty of criticism from fans – and also Grealish.
Grealish, 30, responded: ‘What a f*****g stupid Instagram post man what’s wrong with you guys. Guy hasn’t played or trained for so long. Ppl like u guys is what wrong with the world. Have some respect.’
The creative midfielder, who is on loan at Everton from Man City and currently out injured having undergone surgery on a stress fracture of his foot, was backed up by plenty of fans in the comments calling the original post ’embarrassing’.
The images accompanied by the post showed Sterling’s goals and appearances at each club in his career, designed to demonstrate his drop-off in recent seasons at Chelsea and then on loan at Arsenal.
Sterling’s touch looked off and he was outmuscled on a couple of occasions for Feyenoord on his debut but he was pleased to get some minutes under his belt.
Sterling received the acclaim of the crowd as one of the club’s most high-profile signings ever
After the game, he reflected: ‘[I] haven’t played in little bit, but just trying to keep fit.
‘Been with the team now for a little bit, so it’s just all on building a step at a time and trying to get to match fitness. Good to start your first game with a win, think that’s the most important. [With] the targets that we’re chasing, so a good debut.’
Dutch publication De Telegraaf were less than complementary about Sterling’s showing, with journalist Valentine Driessen writing: ‘But what could he achieve in Van Persie’s side? Not much, as it turned out. After nine months without a match at the highest level, Sterling refused to force himself despite the enthusiasm of Het Legio (nickname of Feyenoord’s fans).
‘Hence, it was a rather anonymous and lacklustre debut. Hopes are pinned on Sterling when Feyenoord, after a brave Telstar, faces more serious opponents and his flashes are needed more.’
Sterling is aiming to revive his career having found himself out of favour at Chelsea under Enzo Maresca. Chelsea signed Sterling on a five-year contract in 2022 from Manchester City for a fee worth £47.5million.
He made 82 appearances for the club but dropped down the pecking order. A loan to Arsenal last season proved unsuccessful as he struggled to earn a spot in Mikel Arteta’s side.
And Sterling was forced to train alone, away from team-mates for much of this season before finally securing a contract termination, opting not to continue collecting his £325,000-a-week wage for the remaining 18 months on the deal.
Daily Mail Sport reported that the 82-cap Englishman had received interest from at least 18 clubs in Europe’s top leagues but it was a surprise move to Feyenoord he eventually chose.
Upon joining, he said: ‘As a free agent, I’ve had, for the first time in a long time, the opportunity to control the next step in my career.
Sterling and Grealish are pictured together celebrating after the winger scored for England in their Euro 2020 game against Czechia at Wembley
‘I wanted to take my time to speak with clubs and their head coaches to better understand the role they envisioned for me and ensure that I can add real value in this next chapter.’
‘Having spoken in great detail with Robin (Van Persie), I’m confident that Feyenoord is a place I can be happy and establish myself as a valued member of the team. Playing abroad is a whole new challenge for me – and one I’m ready to embrace. Honestly, I’m just excited to get started.’
Sterling’s pedigree ensured a wonderful reception from Feyenoord fans, who he will now be looking to repay by building back to his best form.
One hitch for the winger has been his inability to train with team-mates in Holland until he has a work permit granted.
Feyenoord made an extra effort to accommodate Sterling by moving training to Belgium, 85 miles from their Rotterdam base.
‘One of the reasons is that Sterling can train with the team,’ said Van Persie.
‘But we can also work on our team culture there. It’s for Raheem and for those processes that we’re going to do this.
Feyenoord plan to return to Rotterdam this week and are hoping Sterling’s work permit is granted before their next game.