Yeah, one of the reason is pundits and few journalists are bitter cnuts that he left their beloved Liverpool.
I think the main reason is simply that he’s only one great season. All this conspiracy stuff about him being underrated for being black (yeah the media hates Kante!) or ex-Liverpool is just nonsense, imo.
He was bandied about by a number of journalists as England’s key man at the WC and had tons of pressure on him after having a great season. He’s had loads of praise and this season is starting to be talked about as an elite level player.
I dunno what else people expect really? Naturally, it takes a while for a players previous rep (as a very wasteful, inconsistent player) to wear off, more than just one season. Kane was seen as a one season wonder! Only after 2-3 top level seasons did a majority accept him as an elite level player.
That’s all I see with Sterling. Maybe some dislike him because of silly reasons, but mostly I think those reasons combined with poor international performances are why he’s maybe not rated as highly as his stats would suggest he should be.