England manager Gareth Southgate thinks Raheem Sterling can rival Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the best players in the world.
The Three Lions boss was speaking after Sterling played a starring role for the team in a thrilling 5-3 win over Kosovo on Tuesday. The Manchester City star grabbed England's equaliser on the night after falling behind, before setting up another three goals in a virtuoso display.
The performance was a continuation of Sterling's form at club level, where he has excelled under the tutelage of manager Pep Guardiola. Speaking about the forward, Southgate said Sterling has all the attributes needed to become one of the best footballers on the planet, per Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail:
"In terms of can he fulfil it, he'll give himself every chance of doing that.