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England's young lions Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling both earned the ire of their former supporters after they forced through moves to oil-tycoons Manchester City this summer. Delph's move, in particular, raised a few eyebrows, after he initially rejected the move and pledged his future to Aston Villa, before a spectacular u-turn saw him pitching up at the Etihad just days later.
Liverpool fans, however, saw Raheem Sterling defecting to the Sky Blues a mile off, as the young winger and his agent, Aidy Ward, spent the majority of last season plotting their Anfield exit. After weeks of haggling, the two clubs eventually agreed on a deal worth up to £49 million for the forward's services, which most would agree was more than reasonable given the only thing Sterling has demonstrated in his career to date is potential.
Finding themselves together on board a flight to San Marino (whom England face off with on Saturday night), the new teammates had time to reflect on their respective summers of discontent and share the old adage of a cheeky selfie. Not unusual, you might note, but that hasn't stopped the British media from spinning it into their narrative.
You might have noticed that Raheem Sterling's reputation in England has plummeted following his season of itchy-feet and, with pound signs in his eyes, the 20-year-old has endured hostile receptions at almost every ground in the country. He's the embodiment of the modern game, don't you know? Greedy, money grabbing and soulless. But at least he's not letting the criticism getting to him, right Raheem?
Right.