Football. ua presents the story of the England midfielder and Manchester City Rahim Sterling for The Players' Tribune.

My daughter is a bit naughty. My mother warned that sooner or later it will happen. Approximately in six years they begin to develop their view of things, you know? The other day my daughter started running around the house and singing a song. Her dad won the championship of England with Manchester City, we scored 100 points in the league. Do you think she cares?.

Haaaaaa! She's still at Manchester City, she's a fan of Liverpool.

And now she runs around the room - and I swear that she runs the same way as her father. Chest forward, back concave, hand slightly dangling. She runs, and you know what she's singing?.

Mo Salah! Mo Salah! Mo Salah!.

Runs on the flank!.

Salahhhhhhh la la la la la la la!.

The Egyptian king!.

Can you believe it?.

It is exactly the same as I was in my childhood. Exactly the same, I swear. If she does not know you well enough, she will not say a word to you. Not one word. First she must trust you. This is what has taken root in our family.

Can I trust you? Can I tell you my story, and will you really hear it? If you read certain newspapers, you may think that you already know me. Maybe you think you know my story, and what worries me. But are you sure about this?.

When I was two years old, my father was killed. It formed my whole life. Soon after, my mother decided to leave us with her sister in Jamaica, and she went to England to get an education and give us a better life. For several years we lived with our grandmother in Kingston and I remember looking at other kids with their moms, feeling jealous. I did not understand what our mother is doing for us.. I just knew that she was not around. My grandmother was amazing, but everyone wants my mom to be around at this age.

Thank God I had football. I remember when it rained, before the children went out into the street and played football in puddles, squirting at each other ... It was the best time! This image flashes in my head when I think of the atmosphere in Jamaica. When it's raining, no one's hiding. You go out and enjoy it. I also remember asking my grandmother for money to buy me an ice cream with raisins and nuts.

At that time, I did not understand this, but my mother fussed in her own way, trying to arrange for us a better life. When I was five, we moved to London to be near her. It was a difficult time, because the culture was very different from the one I used to, we did not have a lot of money. My mother tried to have everything we needed, but let's just say that it was not like "All type-top, or Life of Zak and Cody" if you understand what I mean.

My mother worked as a cleaner in several hotels to earn extra money, which she would spend to study. I'll never forget how I woke up at five in the morning before school to help her clean the toilets at a hotel in Stonebridge. I always argued with my sister, for example: "No, no, this time you are cleaning toilets, and I - bed linen". The best part of all this - when my mother allowed me to choose from the vending machine all that we want.

In fact, I do not have the most pleasant memories. When I went to primary school, I was very naughty. I did not want to sit and listen to what my teacher says.. Today we are talking about subtraction? I will look at the clock, waiting for a change. Let's eat some food and then go out. Running in the mud, pretending that I Ronaldinho. That's all I care about.

I was so bully that I was kicked out of primary school. Well, technically this is not quite true. They just told my mom that I need to be surrounded by a lot of attention from the teachers. I started to study in a small class with six children and three teachers. No kidding! There was nowhere to hide.

Once I saw how my peers go to school with great pleasure, they want to study, learn. I saw this, and I was amazed. I thought I also wanted to do this. I want to be like everyone else. Nothing bad happens to me, I'm calm.

My problem was only one thing - I did not want to listen to anyone.. Besides my mother.

I corrected my behavior and about a year later I returned to the regular class. If to reflect, that moment when my life has changed, has come then when I have met the person by name Clive Ellington. He took care of me and other students. One day he asked me: "Rahim, what do you love to do?".

A simple question, is not it? I said without hesitation - I like to play football! He said: "Well, I have a small team, do not want to play with them?".

This moment has changed my whole life. When I turned 10 or 11, I became interested in Fulham. Arsenal wanted me! When Arsenal wants you, you think you should go there. I ran and told my classmates: "I'm going to Arsenal".

My mother is a wise woman. She said: "I do not feel that you must go to the Arsenal. There will be 50 players, as good as you ". She persuaded me to move to the CRC.

Probably, it was the best decision in my life. Well, then you know what happened ... England is still the place where a naughty boy who hails from nowhere can live his dream ....