Mad stat from that Marcotti piece:
Sterling has featured in all but one of Liverpool's games this season. The club have played 2100 minutes of football: he's been on the pitch for 1854 minutes. Only Mignolet has played more. By the time he turned 20 on Monday, he had amassed 99 first team appearances. Lionel Messi, by comparison, had made 71 at the same age; Cristiano Ronaldo, 100.
But here's the difference. Messi had lasted 90 minutes for Barcelona 25 times before his 20th birthday, Ronaldo 30 for Sporting and Manchester United. Sterling's done it 49 times for Liverpool. He's a special talent, absolutely. But if two of the greatest players of all time -- both precocious superstars -- were being used far more sparingly at teenagers than Sterling is, perhaps there's a reason.
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