Phil Foden, Football’s present.

“he is the most, most, most talented player I have ever seen”

- a quote from Pep Guardiola on Phil Foden.

A special feeling

I used to get this feeling every time Phil Foden got a goal or assist, a feeling of unbridled joy, a feeling that could not be replicated by anything else in the sport, it was an almost patronising happiness, “oh how nice for little Phil from Stockport, getting in amongst the goals in a team full of 60 million plus superstars” it was something that you felt was not supposed to happen. Which is part of the reason I felt that happiness, it was a rarity to see, a fresh faced, unrefined gem influencing one of the greatest teams that the sport has ever seen. A team that was laden with some of the best talents in the world, it was and still is, one of the most expensive squads ever assembled. So how does this scrawny, short kid with a dodgy haircut, not only make it into this team, but make himself an essential part of Pep Guardiola’s project.

The boy from Stockport

According to the Atlethic’s Man city correspondent, Pep Guardiola was sitting in at an academy game, when he saw Foden on the ball, He stood up from his seat in excitement and said, “who is that number 10”. We could say that this was the start of Pep’s masterplan for the youngster. He would praise him every chance he got, but if I was to show you every Pep Guardiola quote on Phil Foden, I wouldn’t have the space to write anything else.

A year after that academy game, Foden would inspire the England U-17 side to a world cup victory, collecting the player of the tournament award in the process. But then Foden was stuck in a sort of limbo, where he was far too good for the PL2 but not quite ready enough for the first team. After a string of “of the bench” appearances, in early 2019, he scored a goal in 7-0 win over Schalke. He rounded the goalkeeper after being put in by Leroy Sane and slotted it in using his signature no-look strike. A trait that still baffles me to this day. That sounds rather inconsequential, doesn’t it? The sixth goal in a 7-0 win in a round of 16 tie, and to most it was. A second thought was not given by most to this academy graduate scoring a meaningless goal, for some, however it was the start of something special. A player we produced who was showing signs, that we hadn’t seen in a long time. Now, of course there were the visionaries who saw Foden train in a youth session in 2012 a la Steven Mcinerney, but this was when some city fans first jumped on the hype train, everyone knew that he had bags of talent, but they still were not sold, due to the fact that his playing time could only be described as sporadic. Something that frustrated the fanbase, building worries of the player possibly moving away from the club. It took a while for him to be recognized as the talent that the fans knew he could be, playing in games and impressing at every opportunity but still not getting regular playing time. A narrative formed that Guardiola did not trust Foden and only played him in small games, despite him playing and scoring in a crucial 1-0 win over Tottenham in mid 2019.

That would all change soon. It was a game against Liverpool that opened the eyes of the footballing world to this gem. Liverpool where the reigning champions at this point, following a demolition of the premier league in 19/20, they set to retain their title, they had some underwhelming performances that would make a retention difficult, but they were still the same dangerous side. In February of 2021 Liverpool faced City at Anfield, a ground where City had struggled greatly and hadn’t won for 16 years, that was about to change. At this point it was common consensus that Foden was a talented player, but this game was a turning point, this game would accelerate the hype train and become something akin to Wayne Rooney’s emergence in the 2000’s. it was 1-1 in the 70th minute and Foden grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck. After a blunder from the Liverpool keeper, Foden cut inside from the right and rocketed a shot from a difficult angle into the roof of the net. It was a mesmeric moment, that gives me goosebumps even when writing about it. Minutes later he would set up Ilkay Gundogan for a tap in. it was a truly extraordinary performance and one that would extinguish Liverpool’s hopes of a title retention and announce himself on the world’s stage in breathtaking fashion. The world had become aware, City fans were vindicated, and Phil Foden had become undeniable.

Foden celebrating his goal vs Liverpool

He is going to be amazing

The narrative around Foden would change further however, as he played an essential part of Manchester City’s third premier league title in four years and getting to the club’s first ever UCL final. Stellar performances against Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain elevated Foden’s Image to one, not of a promising young talent, but one of an elite, world class player right now. And that was I intended to put across when I started writing this piece. Phil Foden is very young and is of course going to be an incredible player in the future, it is not ridiculous to say he could win the Ballon’d’or, but I think that could work to his detriment in the now. A mistake that I sometimes made was treating Foden’s performances as a glimpse into the future, “oh how good is he going to be!” instead

Acknowledging the amazing nature of his performances at this current moment in time. Over the last 18 months, at times, he has been the best player for the best team in the world. That is not hyperbole, that is an accurate description of Foden’s level in recent times. He isn’t a star boy anymore, he’s just a star, maybe even a superstar.

Foden at Euro 2020

At Euro 2020, Foden was maybe the most anticipated player at the tournament. Sporting a bleach blonde haircut, that could be interpreted as a nod to Paul Gascoigne, one of the most loved footballers in the history of England. Foden had 27 touches of the ball against Croatia and every time he got the ball, the crowd roared and cheered, simply at the act of touching the ball, it was an indication of how Foden had won over the hearts of the people, he was the moment. Unfortunately, this would dwindle due to a lack of playing time and some underwhelming performances, but it showed us how big he could be, and the level of superstardom he almost definitely will reach in the future. But for now, let’s think about how incredible Phil Foden is right now.

A Manchester City fan

I asked myself, what was my favourite thing about Phil Foden was? And a few things came to my mind. His

rocket of a left foot, that generates an amount of power that should not be possible from someone that size, responsible for some of the most sensational strikes I have seen in recent time, an aspect of his game that opponents are starting to fear. His burst of pace, enabling to dribble past men and impact the game against teams that sit deep, his acceleration has gotten me off my seat numerous times, jumping with joy. His incredible passing range, especially at his young age. He has a passing arsenal that most midfielders would dream of, being able to pick out passes using his left foot with ease, we saw this displayed masterfully against Club Brugge in this season’s champion’s league group stage, he would drop deep (sometimes even as deep as the center backs) and ping passes over or through the Brugge defense and onto to runners. He played in the false 9 position and utilized his range of passing brilliantly, dropping into the right areas, receiving the ball perfectly on the half turn and spraying effortlessly, it was almost too easy for him. He registered an assist and had 3 key passes in just 64 minutes. Or maybe his positional versatility, which allows him to slot in to 5 different positions in Pep Guardiola’s system and perform at a high level in all of them. He is just as comfortable at left 8 as he is on the right wing, which is not only a testament to his ability, but also the way he has been coached. His phenomenal touch and control, which have both made me audibly groan in satisfaction. The ability to stop a ball dead at your feet or continue carrying a pass at pace, are both desirable traits that Foden has displayed.

Foden with his father (a Manchester United fan)

Upon Reflection, I realized that none of these were my favorite things about Foden, I love all of these aspects and they help in making him, probably my favorite player right now. My favorite aspect of Foden’s game is his ability to give 470% in every moment of every game. Cliché, I know, but I cannot help but fawn over a press in the 87th minute in a game that City are winning 2-0. It is moments like that win over fans. He lives and breathes football, with his parents tying an inflatable ball to his pram when he was 10 months old, he has quite literally been entwined with the beautiful game all his life. There are certain players who just have a natural inclination to the sport, and that is something that comes across in his game, chasing down every loose ball, giving it all in 50-50s, the excitement in which he celebrates every goal, regardless of whether he scored or not. Part of the reason he gives so much in every situation is because he knows what it means to play for the club, as a lifelong blue, I think of Foden as the collective spirit of Manchester City fans playing on the pitch. He knows how lucky he is and how fans would kill to be in his position, because was once one of those fans and still is and he is cherishing every moment on this crazy ride, and we all have the pleasure of witnessing his career. Once in a while, we must all take a step back and appreciate how a Man City fan from Stockport, Manchester is at the very top of Football.