Chelsea and ex Liverpool star makes unexpected business move - supporters love first hilarious first video

Chelsea star Raheem Sterling has begun a new off-the-pitch business venture by starting his own production company.

The England international has teamed up with previous collaborator Carly Cussen to create Playmaker Films having gained experience in front of the camera in high-profile campaigns for brands including Gillette and Samsung in recent years.

It's the latest business move from Sterling, who has previously been named as one of the 100 most influential Black Britons in the annual Powerlist and has launched the Raheem Sterling Foundation at his former school Ark Elvin Academy.

The 28-year-old has already made moves with Playmaker Films, starring in a comedic Clarks advertisement that he shared on Instagram over the weekend.

In the clip, Sterling takes a new design of school shoes to a junior school, where he meets a larger-than-life headteacher and sits in on lessons. The former Manchester City forward kicks a ball around with the youngsters, brushes off his recorder skills and even finds himself in trouble for 'defacing' a locker with his autograph.

Fans reacting to the clip online labelled it "one of the best videos I've watched in a while" as it left some "grinning like a mad man". One Instagram user impressed by Sterling's acting skills joked: "Is Sterling even in the right profession?"

Speaking about the launch of Playmaker Films, Sterling said: “Part of the day job involves a lot of time on sets at video shoots for brands. Over time I was more and more interested in what was going on behind the camera.

"I’d worked with Carly on a number of projects, for brands like Gillette and Samsung, and I started to ask her questions about different aspects of the process. When it came to starting my own production company, she was the obvious choice.

“We’ve got some great projects lined up, with some amazing brands and talent, including Clarks ‘Back To School’ campaign which was a lot of fun to create and shoot. I can’t wait for the world to see what we’ve got up our sleeves.”

London-based Cussen has worked with stars including Ed Sheeran and Missy Elliot over the years, as well as brands including Disney and Samsung. The Creative Director said: “I knew Raheem was a natural performer on the pitch, but I didn’t know that he also had the talent in front of the camera as well! I loved working with him, and when he started to pop up behind the scenes as well, I knew he had a future on the other side of the camera.

“Playmaker Films is a truly collaborative endeavour between myself and Raheem, as well as the amazing people that perhaps don’t get a mention in the headlines. There’s a real buzz about the place, what we are trying to do and we have some exciting projects in the pipeline.”