How Man City starlet Phil Foden made his dad cry | OneFootball

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OneFootball

Dan Burke·10 March 2018

How Man City starlet Phil Foden made his dad cry

Article image:How Man City starlet Phil Foden made his dad cry

It’s been an emotional year for Manchester City youngster Phil Foden, and an emotional year for his family too.

The 17-year-old has now made eight senior appearances for the club since making his debut off the bench against Feyenoord back in November and was handed his second start by Pep Guardiola in last week’s Champions League dead-rubber defeat at the hands of Basel.


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But Foden’s biggest achievement to date is the starring role he played in England’s Under-17 World Cup triumph, where he was named Player of the Tournament after scoring against Spain in the final.

Article image:How Man City starlet Phil Foden made his dad cry

And it was that moment that, back home, reduced his father to a blubbering mess.

“My mum was at the game and she was crying, she couldn’t believe it. I was happy that I’d made her proud,” the midfielder told Dugout.

“I Facetimed my dad after and even he was in tears – I had never seen him cry before.

“I feel really lucky because I’m only 17, and to say I’ve won the World Cup already – it’s everyone’s dream.”

City have high hopes for Foden as one of the future stars of the club and he says the nurturing guidance he’s been receiving from some of the current team’s big names has been helping him develop as a player.

“When I made my Premier League debut, Kev [De Bruyne] was giving me a lot of advice,” he said.

“He came over to me straight away and told me to be confident and enjoy it, and that’s what I did.

Article image:How Man City starlet Phil Foden made his dad cry

“To come on against Tottenham and play against Dele Alli and players like that was a dream come true.

“David [Silva] is just a magician. To watch him every day, and watch what they do, you learn a lot.

“In training they give me a lot of advice. If I turn, they ask about what if I was in a game – they give me a lot of questions to answer.”

Article image:How Man City starlet Phil Foden made his dad cry

Foden grew up in Edgeley, Stockport and has been a huge Blues fan ever since he was scouted by the club at the age of five.

“I’m a City fan because at my primary school, which was called Bridgehall Primary School, a coach came in called Terry John and told me to do some things round a cone,” he said.

“He gave me a City card and said ‘We want to sign you’.

“My mum was a City fan as it is, and she said ‘Why don’t we go to the games?’ so I did and became a City fan.

“I remember Elano and Micah Richards, who came through the academy and was one of my favourite players.”