Of the Manchester City players who smiled the most on the grass of the Atatürk stadium in Istanbul was Phil Foden (23 years old, England). It was not be for lowerly. The attacking midfielder citizen he is the player who bleeds the most skyblue runs through his veins. Foden, born in the neighboring town of Manchester, Stockport, has not known other colors than that of Manchester City since he began to dazzle in his childhood as a precocious footballer. The boy who dreamed of one day being a member of City’s first team had just won the Champions League with the team of his dreams.
It is paradoxical that a player from the youth academy is one of the most outstanding in a club that has spent countless millions of euros on transfers to win its first Champions League. For something Foden is a unique talent. He did not start the title, but his entry, for an injured De Bruynechanged the match against Inter. More comfortable in the position of ’10’ than the Belgian, Foden combined, dribbled, ran with more self-confidence and greater fluidity than De Bruyne before the defensive web proposed by Simone Inzaghi. Foden gave a plus of quality to City’s attack. He was differential.
The Englishman was able to put the finishing touch to the game in the 77th minute in a spectacular individual action. SHe got rid of several interista defenders with a nice turn in the race that placed him only in front of the goal nerazzurribut in the heads-up Onana came out the winner. Foden missed the sentence. Minutes later Foden, and the rest of his companions, touched the sky. “European Champions!!!! This club, a dream come true”, manages to say an incredulous Foden. An oasis within the City’s millions.
