'I roomed with Raheem Sterling at Liverpool – I retired at 24 and now I'm an artist'

Former Liverpool youth player David Moli traded his football ambitions for an artist’s brush. Despite starting his career with Raheem Sterling in Liverpool’s academy, the ex-striker never made it in the professional game, partly due to a career-ending injury.

While Sterling ascended to Liverpool’s first team in 2012, Moli made the move to Wolves, leaving two years remaining on his contract with the Reds – a decision he would later regret. During his time at Molineux, he suffered a severe injury, tearing a muscle between his tibia and fibula, which sidelined him for eight months.

After recovering, Moli joined Hayes and Yeading in non-league football, but the injury resurfaced. He subsequently had stints at Epinal in France, Stormil Olszytn in Poland and Estonia’s Parnu Vaprus.

Moli sustained an ACL tear during training at Parnu Vaprus, exacerbating his injury woes. These recurring injuries ultimately forced him into early retirement at 24 – an age when many players are reaching their prime, reports the Daily Star.

Despite the setback caused by his departure from football, Moli diverted his talents to the arts and quickly grew as a celebrated artist. In 2019, he confided to The Times: “I’ve always had an ability to put something creative on paper. When I was recovering from injury, it helped overcome depression. When you’re alone in your room, all you need is a canvas.”

Moli’s artistic journey has flourished rapidly, with his work fetching impressive sums and attracting commissions from elite footballers. During a chat with The Athletic in 2020, Moli revealed which players are buying his creations.

“Quite a few footballers have bought stuff. I’ve just done one for Jesse Lingard,” Moli said.”Fred’s wife messaged me and commissioned me to do a piece for him for their anniversary. Luke Shaw’s missus ordered a piece for his birthday. She was surprised when I showed her a picture of Luke and I playing for England Under-16s together.”

“Trent (Alexander-Arnold) has got three pieces. One was commissioned by a clothing brand and then he messaged me to say, ‘Thanks very much, can I have another two please?’ So I ended up doing one of Biggie (Smalls) and one of The Joker for him. (Watford’s) Andre Gray and (former Cardiff City winger) Nathaniel Mendez-Laing have bought stuff too.”

Sterling, who shared a four-bedroom semi-detached house in St Helens with Moli during their time at Liverpool, has thrived on the pitch for both the Reds and Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. After his £49million transfer to the Etihad, Sterling scored 91 goals in 225 appearances for the Sky Blues before making a move to Chelsea in 2022. He the made a switch to Arsenal this summer.