Sterling sets sights on Wembley

27 January 2013 13:16

Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling is hoping an FA Cup run might take him on a trip to Wembley.

The 18-year-old has surprised many so far this campaign with his trickery and eye for goal, resulting in his earning a first full international cap for England under Roy Hodgson against Sweden in November.

Sterling grew up in London and played for QPR as a youngster, and he hopes to be back in the capital playing at the new Wembley.

"My school was two minutes away from the stadium. When it was being built I used to ride around the site on my BMX with my friends," he told the Daily Mirror.

"At first there was nothing there, then one day we saw the arch starting to go up and we kept going back until it was finished. I didn’t try to sneak in, but I did go there when Chelsea played Man United in the first FA Cup Final at the new stadium, when Didier Drogba scored the winner.

"They gave the talented kids from my school free tickets to go, and it was just beautiful."

Sterling, who joined Liverpool from QPR for 600,000 pounds back in 2010, has been a regular for new manager Brendan Rodgers, and could well be London-bound again if the Reds can make the semi-finals of the FA Cup, starting with a fourth-round tie against Oldham on Sunday.

The national side also face Brazil in a friendly in February in the capital, and Sterling would love to be part of Hodgson's squad for that one.

"That would be unbelievable, especially at Wembley," he said.

He is also quick to play down any talk of his mother wishing he played for his native Jamaica, where he lived until he was five.

"My mum has never said that. In fact, she said, 'Jamaica is your home nation, but England has looked after you.'"