Raheem Sterling has made the day month year of 550 children from one of his former schools after arranging for them to attend the FA Cup semifinal between Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
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Sterling, who “grew up right next door to the stadium” after moving to London from Jamaica with his family at the age of five, made a surprise appearance to visit with the students at Ark Elvin Academy in London on Thursday. The school “is known for its high percentage of students from minority backgrounds,” according to Sky Sports.
Our Head of PE Mr Kunnassery & 10 lucky Elvin pupils are travelling today to Manchester City Stadium to personally thank our most famous 'old boy' @sterling7 for his generous donation of 500 tickets to watch him play for @ManCity vs Brighton at @wembleystadium #dareforgreatness
— Ark Elvin Academy (@ArkElvinAcademy) April 4, 2019
“Raheem is such a role model for our children. And to know that, despite how his life has changed, he still thinks about the community he came from is really powerful for us.”
When asked if she had a message she wanted to send to Sterling, she said: “Thank you for being such a positive role model for our community; for your kindness and generosity and for having such integrity and courage.
“Our school motto is ‘Dare for greatness’ and you have shown us what, with hard work and commitment, is possible. Next time you are passing by Wembley, please pop in and see us.”
Saturday’s semifinal will be Man City’s fourth game at Wembley this season, after they were victorious in each of their first three trips to the national stadium — they knocked off Chelsea in the Community Shield, beat Tottenham Hotspur in Premier League action, and once again outlasted the Blues in the EFL Cup.
