Interview: Raheem Sterling on Euro 2016, FIFA Rage and the England Squad's Biggest Grime Fan

As Nike launched England's kits for Euro 2016, Raheem Sterling spoke to Complex on life inside the England camp, street football and pre-match playlists.

Image via Nike

There weren’t many positives to take from England’s early exit at the 2014 World Cup, but the biggest was Raheem Sterling’s emergence on the world stage.

The winger – 19-years-old at the time – ended the tournament as England’s brightest spark and he’s been a mainstay on the international scene ever since. Sterling’s arrival on the international stage under Roy Hodgson marked a generational shift for the Three Lions, which has continued with the emergence of talented young players like Dele Alli, Ross Barkley and Harry Kane.

With the Premier League season winding down, the countdown to Euro 2016 is well and truly on. Now the most expensive English player of all time, Raheem Sterling will be looking for a landmark tournament in France this summer.

At the launch of Nike’s new England kits for Euro 2016, Raheem Sterling spoke to Complex on life inside the England camp, street football and pre-match playlists.

Interview:Corey Pellatt

What excites you most about the prospect of playing with England at Euro 2016 this summer?
What excites me most is know that there’s a trophy at the end of it. Hopefully we can be really focused and do our utmost best in the tournament, to go as far as we can but not put too much pressure on ourselves.

How much do you think you’ve developed as a player since the World Cup in 2014, which was your first major tournament?
I’ve learned how to deal with pressure more. I’m still trying to achieve more in my game and add more to it. I feel like I’m still learning everyday and I want to keep on improving.

How much does it mean to you to pull on an England shirt?
It’s always an honor to put on an England shirt but this one is different – it makes you really feel fast, plus its light and fits nicely.

What was the first international tournament you remember watching as a kid?
The first one I really remember was the World Cup in 2006 when Joe Cole scored that screamer – I think it was some mad kind of volley – against Sweden.

It feels like this is one of the youngest England squads we’ve had in quite some time, who are the guys you bond with in that group?
It’s probably Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dele, Studge, Welbz…there’s quite a few of us and we actually all get on well. Everyday life brings us together and we’re into the same stuff in terms of music and fasion. Everyone actually gets on really well. There’s no separate tables for separate groups, everyone’s quite fluid.>

A lot of the players hopped on Instagram during the last World Cup to show us what life is like inside the England camp, will you do the same?
Not for me, personally. If someone catches me I’ll be there but I won’t be sending many videos out there.

There were plenty of clips showing you boys going at it on FIFA last time…
Oh yeah, FIFA is a no brainer. In the last World Cup it was pretty tense, I didn’t talk to Welbz for about three hours after one game. Hopefully we’ll do the same sort of thing again, it’s good to have something like that around the camp.

You didn’t talk to Welbeck for three hours? Is that because he’s a bad winner or you’re a bad loser?
I just don’t like losing, I don’t like losing full stop. Even if it’s at FIFA.

What’s on your pre-match playlist at the moment? Your recent tweets tell us you’re a big grime fan.
I really like Nines, he’s definitely someone I like listening to. Grime’s always been there for me. Some of the music has changed a little bit, the mentality isn’t to just be as loud as you can be anymore…it’s really come together.

Are there a lot of grime fans in the England dressing room?
Yeah, there’s some players that you would never think even listen to grime – I was so shocked. Joe Hart is one, he’s shown me most of Stormzy’s songs – stuff I’d never knew before, he brought me in on them. Joe’s been a massive surprise for me.

You grew up in the shadow of Wembley, did you always dream of playing here for the national side?
I remember just riding my bicycle when Wembley Market was here and I always saw it, it was something I wanted to be involved with.

Was street football a massive part of your childhood?
That pretty much was my childhood, messing around in parks and on the street in front of my house – I didn’t get into an academy until I was like 10 or 11-years-old. I think that’s the best way of expressing yourself when you’re young. It’s good to not have someone telling you what to do and how to play every minute, it’s probably when you get to the right age that your skills should be coached. Skills should be a natural expression and then coaches can come and add more to your game to bring it to a professional level.

Are you going to bring a few pairs of trainers to France this summer? What’s your go to shoe right now?
The O.G. Huaraches are lovely but there’s another pair I’m wearing right now, the Nike Flyknit Lunar – I’ve got them on with everything at the moment.

Who’s the player you’re most looking forward to lining up against this summer?
I’ve not really thought of that one. It’d be good to take on David Silva or someone like that. It’d be a difficult test but if we beat them, I’ll have the bragging rights.

Raheem Sterling wears England's new 2016 home kit, built for speed with revolutionary Nike Aeroswift innovation. Visit nike.com for more information​.

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