Raheem Sterling made a huge contribution for new club Feyenoord in the club's 2-1 derby comeback win over rivals Excelsior on Sunday.
After finding himself well out of favour at Chelsea following an unproductive loan spell with Arsenal, Sterling had his contract terminated by mutual consent.
Plenty of clubs showed interest in the former Manchester City and Liverpool forward and he moved to sign for Eredivisie giants Feyenoord on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
His first appearance was delayed due to work permit issues needing to be resolved but he made his bow as a substitute against Telstar and was then handed his full debut against NAC Breda.
Advert
But he truly arrived for the Rotterdam outfit at De Kuip in the latest outing for Robin van Persie's men.
Sterling played 82 minutes and provided the assist for Ayase Ueda's second goal just a minute after levelling matters.
The former England international received the ball in his own half and produced a stunning, defence-splitting pass for Ueda to latch onto and notch his and Feyenoord's second.
The 31-year-old has had a tough time in recent years but proved that he still has huge quality by rolling back the years.
A video of the assist amassed 1.5 million views. Reacting to the piece of play, one user on X wrote: "What a pocket pass!"
Another said: "Class is permanent."
A third person added: "Through-ball 10 yards inside his own half perfectly placed and weighted so the striker only needs to take one touch before the finish, that's my boy."
A final user commented: "Hopefully this helps build his confidence and he can get back to something like the player he was pre Chelsea."
Sterling was replaced in the latter stages of the game and will be hoping to kick on for his new club.
His early displays saw him come in for criticism but Van Persie defended the four-time Premier League winner after his debut - which saw him get his first minutes since May 2025.
"If you have a little sense of context, where he comes from, what he's achieved in the past, and that he hasn't had any team training for months," Van Persie said, as per ESPN.
"I understand that there are expectations of an absolute top player, but to criticise him like that after half an hour. His first half hour after six months. Then you really don't understand anything at all."
Next up for Feyenoord is a huge clash against Ajax on Sunday 22 March.
Topics: Raheem Sterling, Feyenoord
Josh Lawless