Former Liverpool star hits back at Sun by explaining the meaning of the M16 tattoo on his leg

Raheem Sterling has upset a number of people after images surfaced of the Manchester City star with a tattoo of an M16 assault rifle on his right leg.

The youngster joined City after leaving Liverpool and shared an image of the tattoo on his Instagram account which has close to 3.6 million followers.

Sterling, who won the Premier League with the Cityzens last season is a part of the England World Cup squad in Russia and many are now calling the former Red to be dropped from the squad for the biggest football tournament in the world.

A report from The Sun carries quotes from Lucy Cope of Mothers Against Guns who suggests that Sterling should not be playing a part in Russia unless the tattoo is lasered off.

There has been a spate of violence in London in the past year with more than 60 people dying due to gun and knife murders.

Piers Morgan and boxing legend Frank Bruno also threw their weight around the fact that the tattoo should be removed and it seems that the reports and quotes have reached Sterling, who posted an update on his Instagram account.

A deeper meaning to the gun tattoo

The 23-year-old uploaded an image from The Sun carrying the image of his rifle tattoo and his other story provided a status update about the meaning of the tattoo.

Sterling’s father was killed when the City man was just two years old. In an Instagram story, the English footballer claimed that his father was gunned down to death and that he would never touch a gun in his life, while he also added that the tattoo is because he shoots with his right foot.

“When I was 2 my father died from being gunned down to death. I made a promise to myself I would never touch a gun in my life. I shoot with my right foot so it has a deeper meaning.”

Sterling will be looking to put all this behind him as the team prepare for the World Cup which is set to start in a few days. This probably is not the best time for this issue to come out and hopefully, this will not affect his performance as England look to perform well in Russia.

It is the player’s privacy that is being intruded into. Sun has never really gained a reputation for being sensible and they have made sure with this report that they never will. The former Liverpool ace is one of the best players in the England squad travelling to Russia and I’m sure he will perform well for his country.

Wishing the former Red all the very best for the World Cup!