Paul Lawrence saw a young Sterling’s early promise and says forward is a role model for current pupils
In the shadow of Wembley Stadium, where Raheem Sterling bolstered his national hero status on Tuesday, his former school football coach was emotional. “I can’t help but start to well up,” said Paul Lawrence, 61, a coach at Ark Elvin Academy in Wembley, where the Manchester City and England forward first revealed his star quality as a 10-year-old.
“Last night I felt so excited. I watched it at home because I wanted to concentrate on it fully. Obviously, like any fan, I’m going to get carried away with the whole emotion of the game. But then the fact that Raheem scored again … That’s the third goal in four games. And to see England perform the way they did – it was amazing. A great, great game.”
