STEVE GALLEN has been delighted to see Raheem Sterling silence his doubters at Euro 2020, and believes the England attacker has showed what is possible when the right opportunities are given in life.

Gallen coached the Manchester City winger when he was a schoolboy at QPR, and tomorrow the “boy from Brent” will walk out at Wembley in a major final for his country against Italy.

Five years on from being a scapegoat when the Three Lions exited the 2016 European Championships, Sterling’s three goals in this tournament have gone a long way to helping Gareth Southgate’s squad make history.

Brought up a stone’s throw from Wembley, this weekend will be extra special for the Jamaica-born footballer and his family, but also for a particularly proud part of London.

“You can actually see Wembley Stadium in the playground of his old school,” Gallen said after visiting Ark Elvin Academy in the north of the city.

“I saw all the kids there last week and they are so proud of Raheem. Many are from immigrant backgrounds and they will see Raheem and think, ‘I can do that’.

“Raheem is from an immigrant background; I am from an immigrant background as my parents came to this country from Ireland. So many people can look at Raheem and say, ‘I want to be like him’ or ‘I can be like him’.

“There are chances for everybody and chances for people to be like him. He is making so many people proud. I imagine everybody in Jamaica is proud and his mum, how proud will she be, and his sister and the rest of the family? It is unbelievable for a kid who is so unassuming.”

Sterling was exactly the same as an 11-year-old when he first crossed paths with Gallen, who was QPR’s schoolboy manager at the time.

Four years after moving to Britain, it did not take the diminutive speedster long to make waves at the Championship club, but he was only able to attend training after taking three buses in the evening with his sister Kima-lee.

Gallen was immediately struck by Sterling’s desire to win, and then a half-volley from 30 yards in an under-16s game against Millwall which was “the best goal I ever saw scored in youth football,” the 47-year-old said.

“Everyone who didn’t know who Raheem was around the QPR schoolboy section knew who he was straight after that,” the current Charlton director of football added.

In between the goals and wins that have come since has been a long-standing battle for equality, with Sterling receiving racist abuse on numerous occasions. In December 2018 he also accused mainstream newspapers of helping to fuel racism in the way they portrayed young black footballers.

But when Sterling walks out at Wembley tomorrow and takes the knee before playing for his country in a major final, it will fill many with an enormous sense of pride.

“There is always an expectation around England and when it doesn’t happen someone has to be the fall guy,” Gallen said.

“Gareth Southgate keeps talking about making their own history and so many people condemned Gareth after Euro 96 and so many condemned Raheem.

“But it is an amazing story … I get the plaudits at times because I did put my arm around him and look after him, but there were other people involved at QPR.

“Other people [were] involved at Liverpool and Man City, so where do you stop but the most important? His mum, sister, and him. That is the real story.”