Former Liverpool star admits he ‘didn’t like’ Raheem Sterling

Ex-Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt says he ‘didn’t like’ Raheem Sterling but hopes to see the forward resurrect his career at Feyenoord under Robin van Persie.

Sterling joined Feyenoord on a short-term deal until the end of the season in January having reached an agreement to terminate his contract with Chelsea.

It comes after Sterling failed to make a single appearance for the Blues in the first half of the campaign, with the 31-year-old forced to train alone and effectively frozen out of the first-team following three-and-a-half underwhelming years at Stamford Bridge.

The attacker’s last game of senior football came back in May 2025, when played an hour of Arsenal in a 2-1 win over Southampton while on loan with Mikel Arteta’s side.

It represents a remarkable fall from grace for a player once regarded as one of England’s finest with a total of 11 pieces of silverware to show for his undoubted talent, including four Premier League titles.

Sterling was pictured watching on from the stands today as Feyenoord ran out 1-0 victors over the struggling Go Ahead Eagles to restore their three-point over third-placed Ajax in the Eredivisie table.

According to talkSPORT, the England international is still waiting to receive his work permit, meaning he is currently prohibited from training or playing alongside his new team-mates.

One player who knows what it takes to succeed at Feyenoord is Kuyt, who represented the club across two spells either side of his six-year stint on Merseyside with Premier League giants Liverpool.

Asked what he remembers from his time playing with Sterling at Liverpool, Kuyt told ESPN: ‘That was quite a few years ago. He was aged 16 then.

‘We trained together a few times and played a few matches. Ultimately, I didn’t like him that much because he quickly moved to a big rival [Manchester City].

‘But Raheem Sterling is, of course, considered a fantastic player in English football with a tremendous record.’

Asked if he was surprised by Sterling’s January move to Rotterdam, Kuyt replied: ‘No, because in the world of football you have to expect everything, even the unexpected.

‘It’s fantastic for Feyenoord that such a player is coming to the Netherlands.

‘We saw that with Jordan Henderson at our rivals Ajax.

Despite his previous dislike of Sterling, Kuyt is hoping to see his former team-mate return to his best in the Netherlands.

‘I hope he shows his best,’ Kuyt added.

‘He hasn’t played for a while, but I always say: you never lose certain qualities.

‘If his fitness is okay, and I assume it is, then I’m looking forward to watching Feyenoord ‘s matches.

‘I watch them all, and now with even more interest.’

In his first interview as a Feyenoord player, Sterling revealed how a frank conversation with head coach Van Persie left him with a ‘very good feeling’ about a move to the Netherlands.

‘When someone like Robin wants to speak to you, I think you always have to answer that phone call,’ the ex-Manchester City and Liverpool man told the club’s official website.

‘It’s just having dialogue with each other and having a feeling off each other, understanding what each other needs.

‘That dialogue started initially and I could feel what person Robin and what kind of football club this is.

‘After that, for me it becomes easy. For me, it’s not a very hard decision.

‘Football is about feelings and I think I just had a very good feeling.’

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