Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has revealed he would love to collect a Lionel Messi shirt before he retires.

The 25-year-old has faced the six-time Ballon d'Or winner for his club side in the Champions League, but failed to secure the Argentine's top after the game.

And during the ePremier League Invitational tournament match against Everton’s Andre Gomes, Sterling admitted the Barcelona star's shirt is one he still has his eye on.

He said: “There's only one that I really want and that's a Messi shirt.

"When we played Barcelona I got a Neymar shirt. That was the first shirt I ever asked for.

"When I finish football and settle somewhere, I will hopefully have many shirts to choose from, pick my favourites and then I will do a room of trophies and football shirts.”

Sterling also spoke about the other former Barcelona player that he idolised when he was growing up, Brazilian legend Ronaldinho.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “Ronaldinho, he was the one. If you see my history on Youtube, I have seen every single clip of his playing career.

“I used to go into the garden and try to recreate what he’d done, but I couldn’t. I tried to the best to my ability. He was something special.”

Sterling, like all other Premier League players, is currently waiting on news about if and when the season will resume following the coronavirus pandemic.

The campaign has been suspended until at least April 30, but plans are reportedly in place to resume domestic games behind closed doors next month.