Raheem Sterling believes he is at Manchester City “for the long haul” but has not ruled out playing abroad one day.
The England forward, who has won five major trophies since joining City from Liverpool in 2015, extended his contract at the Etihad Stadium to 2023 last November.
The 24-year-old said in the British GQ August issue: “Looking at it now it’s like, Manchester, I love it. I love it here. This is one of the best clubs in the world and I’m here for the long haul.
“But you just don’t know what happens in the future. I’m still young and, like I say, I am loving every minute.
“Ever since I was a kid, 100 per cent it’s always been a dream of mine to play abroad somewhere. It would be nice one day to finish training and go home and sit in your garden and eat some dinner.”
Sterling added that he would ideally like to play in a warm climate “where it’s minimum 17C or 18C constantly”.
Asked further, he joked that he had ruled out playing in Germany because of the language barrier.
He said: “I hear Leroy (Sane) and Ilkay (Gundogan) talking and sometimes I think they’re having me on. I’m like, ‘You lot are not speaking to each other. That’s not a language I could do’.”
Sterling has excelled at City under the inspirational guidance of manager Pep Guardiola, who took over at the club in 2016.
He credits the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss for his continued improvement in a squad where pressure for places is high.
Sterling said: “He’s demanding, but it’s good. It makes you want to do better and – I don’t know how to explain this – makes you want to prove to him and show him every time you go on the field you’re playing for your position in his team, because of the numbers we have and the quality we have as well.”
*The full interview can also be read at: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/raheem-sterling-alastair-campbell
