At 26, Raheem Sterling is probably the youngest elder statesman English football has ever known.
The Manchester City winger’s importance and influence has long stretched far beyond the playing field and through the generations.
In March 2019, after hitting a hat-trick for England against the Czech Republic while enjoying the season of his career, Sterling was praised as a guiding light by two of his younger team-mates afterwards.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho spoke to reporters in the Wembley mixed zone and hailed Sterling as both an inspiration and a friend who helped them feel at home as newcomers to the senior international setup.
Just last week, Sterling was back at Wembley to launch his foundation - a transatlantic operation that will seek to advance the opportunities of the next generation across the UK, the United States and Jamaica.
That came with a big media launch, as is customary on such occasions, but Sterling’s nurturing tendencies can also be seen in quieter moments at City.
Before each half of the Carabao Cup game at West Ham last month, it was Sterling who could be seen offering a few last-minute pointers and tips to Cole Palmer in the tunnel, while also talking and cajoling the teenager through the game.
When Palmer dispatched a sumptuous maiden Champions League goal against Club Brugge, Sterling was first on the scene to celebrate - a picture of pure delight amid what has been a trying season personally.
It’s not even that Palmer - who will make his first Premier League start in a front three alongside Sterling and Phil Foden against Everton today - looks like he needs any particular reassurance.
He is playing with all the swaggering confidence you would expect from a 19-year-old who has broken into the first-team picture at his boyhood club and has the world at his feet.
That was Sterling once, the next big thing who felt he could bend anything to his will. On his day, he still can - he just also has to navigate the doubts that come to us all with age and experience.
As rumours of a move to Barcelona continue to swirl, it is time for Sterling to give an indication that this is not his final chapter at City. After doing all he can to guide Palmer and others, maybe it is time for him to take a leaf out of the teenager’s book as they look to take down Everton.
