- Blues academy graduate continues to shine
- Has been compared with World Cup winner
- Readying himself for more England duty
WHAT HAPPENED? The England international playmaker has drawn comparisons with a World Cup-winning midfielder ever since he stepped out of a famed academy system at the Etihad Stadium and onto a senior stage. Foden is now a household name in his own right, as a Premier League title winner and integral part of the Three Lions set-up, but the 22-year-old remains reluctant to place himself in a similar talent bracket to a legend at Camp Nou.
WHAT THEY SAID: Foden has told Esquire of a moniker bestowed upon him by adoring City supporters: “It’s a nice compliment but I’ve no idea why. He [Andres Iniesta] was just too good.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Foden is currently preparing himself for a shot at World Cup glory, which Iniesta savoured with Spain in 2010, and has been reflecting on the disappointment of seeing an untimely injury rob him of the chance of turning out for England in the Euro 2020 final. He added: “[I was] just walking in from training and someone’s passed me a ball and I’ve decided to do a stupid touch and gone over on my foot. I felt a crack in the top of my foot and I couldn’t walk. I knew straight away. The full world was watching, talking about the final, and here’s me got injured just before probably the biggest game of my life.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Despite missing out on England’s European Championship defeat to Italy, Foden has continued to star for club and country and has seven goals and three assists for City to his name in 2022-23 ahead of Southgate naming his final 26-man squad for the World Cup finals in Qatar.