England fans convinced they know why Raheem Sterling scored with the outside of his boot
Raheem Sterling scored the third goal for England in Monday's Fifa World Cup match against Iran.
Crowds across England and beyond went wild when Sterling volleyed Harry Kane's cross using the outside of his boot, hitting the ball into the back of the net and giving England a 3-0 lead before an eventual final score of 6-2.
After celebrating the goal, England fans suspected that there's a very specific reason Sterling used the outside of his foot to score.
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During England's first match of the 2022 Fifa World Cup, Sterling was wearing a pair of Stone Island New Balance football boots, which both he and Bukayo Saka will be seen in throughout the tournament.
Supporters think that Sterling was making an effort to 'get the badge in' by scoring with the outside of his boot.
In-keeping with the trend of 'getting the badge in' by posing for pictures that will show off top quality football boots in all their glory, Sterling took it a step further by striking the ball with the outside of his limited edition boots to really show them off.
"Sterling scored like this to get the badge in," tweeted one fan.
"An important reminder that Raheem Sterling is getting the badge in on the biggest stage," joked a second.
"Sterling hitting that with the outside of his boot so he can get the badge in," a third agreed.
"Get the badge in Raheem lad," raved a fourth.
The now-iconic grey-green camouflage boots will be available to the public on New Balance's website later this week, and are now already being referred to as the 'Raheem Sterling Stone Island Furon v7 Pro FGs'.
With a hypoknit upper with mesh lining, a lightweight nylon outsole, and a cored-out canopy for increased strike zone, these boots will set up back about £210 when they go on sale.
Having reached the World Cup semi-finals four years ago and finished as runners-up in last summer's Euros, the Three Lions are among the favourites in this tournament, despite a six-match winless run and Nations League relegation.
England ended that wait for a victory in style on Monday, as Saka scored twice in his first major tournament appearance since devastatingly missing his spot-kick in last year's European Championship final defeat to Italy.
Next, England are slated to play the USA on Friday, 25 November before facing off against Wales next Tuesday, 29 November.
Ali Condon