England did not need their striker Raheem Sterling to defeat Senegal (3-0) in the round of 16 and thus join France in the quarter-finals next Saturday (8 p.m.). The Chelsea striker had to forfeit before the match, the English federation announcing “family problem”. Sterling actually left Qatar to return to London. We learned, after the match, that his wife and children had suffered a burglary by armed men on Saturday evening while they were at their home.
This episode, which is reminiscent of the misadventures suffered by Parisians Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos in March 2021, aroused a wave of emotion in England. Thus Gary Lineker, the former international with 8.6M subscribers, sent, on Twitter, his thoughts to Sterling and his family after their terrible and heartbreaking ordeal.
Raheem Sterling, 28 next Thursday, started the first two matches against Iran (6-2) and the United States (0-0). He remained on the bench against Wales, replaced by Phil Foden. Gareth Southgate’s senior player, he is the most capped of the 26 Englishmen at the World Cup, with 81 selections. He scored his 20th goal and delivered his 27th assist against Iran.
Depending on his ability to overcome this episode, but also on the emotional state of his family, he will or will not return in the coming days with his teammates to prepare for the quarter-final against the France team.
