I was wrong about Raheem, admits Man City's De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne thought Manchester City team-mate Raheem Sterling was a "d***head" before they met after making assumptions based on how the England player had been portrayed in the media.

The pair both joined City in the summer of 2015 in big-money deals, Sterling from Liverpool for £44million and De Bruyne from Wolfsburg for £55m.

De Bruyne, after his brief spell at Chelsea, was well aware of his fellow new arrival's reputation but was surprised to discover the man did not live up to his billing.

"Before I came to Manchester City, I didn't really know what to make of this Raheem Sterling guy," the Belgium midfielder wrote in a piece in The Players' Tribune.

"I had never met him, and from what I'd read about him...I thought he was going to be a very different character.

"The tabloids were always claiming that he was arrogant. So I guess I thought he'd be ... what do the English call it? A bit of a d***head, maybe?

"They said Raheem was this flashy guy who left Liverpool for money. They said I was 'the Chelsea reject'. They said we were difficult characters.

"Then I got to City and I actually met Raheem, and we'd talk a bit after training, and I thought, 'Wait, this guy seems really cool? What's the story here?'

"I really got to know Raheem, and I recognised what a smart and genuine person he is. He couldn't be more different.

"This is the real truth: Raheem is one of the nicest, most humble guys I've met in football."