Lionel Messi would always ask Sergio Aguero about his Man City teammate
Manchester City star Phil Foden's performances caught the attention of none other than Lionel Messi.
Foden progressed through the academy at the Etihad Stadium to become one of the stars of Pep Guardiola's team; the 23-year-old has won 15 major trophies during his time with Man City, including five Premier League titles. Guardiola handed Foden his senior debut with Man City in November 2017 in a Champions League tie against Feyenoord.
His Premier League debut would come a month later in a 4-1 win against Tottenham, and the versatile forward's importance to Guardiola's squad has only increased with each passing season. Guardiola has forged his name in Man City folklore with his accomplishments since 2016, but he is also held in similar regard at Barcelona.
READ MORE: Rob McElhenney had 'greatest day of life' as Hollywood stars watched Wrexham
READ MORE: Ryan Reynolds expanding Wrexham business empire as he cashes in on soccer success
Pep Guardiola went back on his word after blocking last-ditch Barcelona transfer
The Spaniard won 15 major trophies at the Camp Nou as a player and a further 14 as a manager, including three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies. Messi was a key part of that success under Guardiola's management. And according to The Telegraph, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has often kept tabs on his former manager, including some of his new players.
It's been stated that Messi, along with former Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano, often asked his Argentina teammate Sergio Aguero about Foden during the youngster's rise to the first-team. Aguero made 81 caps alongside Messi for their country, as well as 37 appearances alongside Foden for Man City.
Foden was a key player on Man City's run to winning a historic treble last season. The 23-year-old scored 15 goals and provided eight assists, including one in the 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final. This season has seen Foden continue to have a similar influence on the team, with Guardiola selecting him for all but one game in all competitions. Foden has featured 19 times and has scored five goals with four assists.
Foden has gradually worked his way from being a promising young player to the heartbeat of the Man City team in the past couple of seasons. Guardiola has selected him for 11 out of the 13 Premier League games so far this season, playing the full 90 minutes on nine occasions.
Guardiola increased the responsibility on Foden following the departure of club legend David Silva in 2020. The Man City boss stated after news emerged that Silva would be leaving the Etihad that a replacement would not be needed due to his faith in Foden's potential.
"Phil is an incredible player but he still has things to improve," Guardiola said in January 2020, via Goal. "Sometimes it takes time to understand exactly what he has to do, sometimes you have to be patient. But David is going to leave this season and we are not going to buy any player in his position because we have Phil. We trust Phil. If we didn't believe in him, we might go to the market to replace David, but we have Phil."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
