Raheem Sterling has admitted that coming to Chelsea has made him happy again as a footballer.

The 27-year-old is now at the peak of his career, but was surprised to have lost his starting role at Manchester City.

According to Sterling, he was angry with the way he was treated at Manchester City – a club he sacrificed everything for.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “Everyone wants to feel wanted, football is no different, when you play your heart out, sacrifice some of your kids’ birthdays, and then get treated in a certain way, it’s disappointing.

“At the time I was fuming, raging, but it’s gone, it’s in the past and I can only focus on the present, which is now, here at Chelsea, and the opportunity I’ve got here to go out and showcase my talents once again.”

“A lot of things came into play, a lot of reasons, but I wasn’t complaining, I was ready to challenge and, as you can see, even with some of the performances I put in, you couldn’t guarantee yourself a place so it just didn’t make sense to fight a battle you can never win.”

“As a player you always want to do your best and help your team, but when you don’t think things are going fairly, it’s always a disappointment.

“If you are not happy playing your football you’ve got to look at other options to get that happiness back, and that’s exactly what I have done. It was the right time for me to move on. I wouldn’t stay part of something I knew I couldn’t give my all in.

“It [City] is a fantastic club, it’s a club that wins lots of trophies, it’s a club that has helped my development massively in the past couple of years, but there comes a time when you’ve got to think about yourself, what’s best for yourself, and what you want for the future. That’s the sole reason why I am here [at Chelsea].”