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Sterling sets remarkable Champions League record with latest Arsenal appearance

  /  autty

Raheem Sterling last night made history by becoming the first player to appear in the Champions League for four English clubs.

The England star, 29, came off the bench for Arsenal in their scoreless draw away to Atalanta - 10 years on from making his debut in the competition for Liverpool against Ludogorets.

Sterling then spent seven seasons at Manchester City, helping them to the final in 2021 only for Pep Guardiola ’s side to be defeated by Chelsea in Porto.

And he then moved to West London and appeared in the competition during his first campaign. But after leaving Stamford Bridge for the Emirates Stadium on deadline day - having been told he was not part of new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca's plans - Sterling has set a new record unlikely to be beaten any time soon.

It was Sterling’s second appearance off the bench for Mikel Arteta ’s side, having also made a cameo in last Sunday’s North London Derby win away to Tottenham Hotspur.

And he is expected to feature as a substitute once again when he returns to former club City this weekend for a huge clash between the reigning champions and their number one challenger.

Meanwhile, former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes Sterling can return to top form at Arsenal and is convinced that Arteta is the right man to help him rediscover his best level.

“He’ll definitely benefit from the move because Mikel Arteta has already come out and stated just how much he loves him and sometimes that’s what Raheem needs to hear,” Johnson told Betfred.

“You don’t become a bad player overnight and I have no doubt that he can still perform.

“If the manager is openly speaking about how happy he is that you’ve joined, especially at a big club like Arsenal, then that’s only going to give Raz a lot of confidence.

“If he’s happy and gets plenty of game time, then I’m sure he can bounce back.”