Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling receives criticism motivated by racism, says Ian Wright.
Sterling celebrated his goal against Arsenal on Sunday with a gesture he later revealed was aimed at silencing his critics following his lack of goals for England at the World Cup.
The 23-year-old also faced negative media attention prior to the tournament for getting a tattoo of a rifle on his leg.
“How many people do you see get the criticism Sterling gets?” Wright said.
“The football criticism is something every player has to deal with, but what he gets I don’t see any other footballer getting,” Wright added
“They don’t get that stick because for whatever reason they don’t rub up the people in the corridors of power the wrong way. I think there is an agenda against him.
“There is an element of people at the high end of the media who want to keep that guy down. Simple.
“When you look at the wave of criticism that he takes, there is a certain amount of racism towards it – what else can it be?
“They are picking on him because of the background he has come from and they want to keep him down, drag him back down. They don’t want him to continue to be a success.
“People say you are playing the racism card, but you give me a good reason why Raheem Sterling gets the stick he gets for just being a footballer.”
In July, Sterling said some sections of the media “want to steal your joy”.
He said: “There’s a perception in certain parts of the media that I love ‘bling.’ I love diamonds. I love to show off. I really don’t understand where that comes from.
“Especially when I bought my mum a house, it was unbelievable what some people were writing. I think it’s really sad that people do that. They hate what they don’t even know.
Ex-Chelsea striker Chris Sutton, also , said: “I think the outside stuff did affect his World Cup performances.”
He added: “I don’t understand it because last season for City he really matured into a top player. He was one of the reason why they were so devastating.
“There seems to be an element of people in this country who delight in kicking him and I don’t get it.”
No England player had divided opinion at the World Cup in Russia more than Raheem Sterling.
A wasteful forward? Or a constant menace to defenders with a boundless appetite for hard work?
Sterling gave ammunition to both his detractors and backers with his display in Saturday’s 2-0 quarter-final win over Sweden, as England set up a semi-final with Croatia on Wednesday.
Your ratings of Sterling, who is yet to score in Russia and last scored for England in October 2015, suggest he has not impressed the public. But former players have praised the impact of the Manchester City player.
So who is right – and what could the Sterling critics be missing?
Raheem Sterling reached a half-century of Premier League goals as he opened the scoring for Manchester City against Arsenal on Sunday.
The reigning league champions looked to pick up where they left off last season as they began their defence of the crown at the Emirates Stadium.
Unai Emery’s Gunners looked set to pose City a stern test, but their resistance lasted just 14 minutes before Sterling made his mark.
The winger cut inside from the left flank and turned Arsenal’s defence inside-out before firing past Petr Cech. It was a fine strike, and the perfect response from Sterling after failing to show his best football with England at this summer’s World Cup.
The goal also marked a personal milestone for the 23-year-old star, who played a key role in City’s Premier League triumph in 2017-18.
Sterling now has 50 Premier League goals, a figure he has reached in 193 games.