06/12/2023 at 11:24
CEST
The Englishman knows more than anyone else what it means to be a ‘citizen’ and is already an emblem of the club at 22
Phil Foden came on for the injured Kevin de Bruyne in the 35th minute of the Champions League final and played an important role
Manchester City were crowned European champions for the first time in their history last Saturday after beating Inter Milan in the grand final, an achievement that will certainly have been very special for a local boy, Phil Fodenplayer linked to the ‘citizen’ entity since he was a child and of which he became an emblem at the age of 22.
Until recently Manchester was dominated only by the red color of the ‘Red Devils’, the most successful English team in terms of national titles in history and which it has ostracized its “blue” neighbors for decadesbut now the situation has changed and this continental title already puts City on the same level as United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Forest and Villa under the label of Champions of Europe.
Foden, a staunch ‘citizen’ fan since he was a child, he experienced firsthand the metamorphosis that the club has undergone since it was a group that alternated between first and second division until becoming one of the The greatest dynasties in the Premier League era, lifting the trophy seven times in the last twelve years.
A WHOLE LIFE IN THE CLUB
If there’s anyone who knows the house from the inside, it’s him. He went through all the lower categories of the team and dazzled in the Under 18, performances that earned him the attention of Guardiola who immediately gave him confidence, confidence reciprocated with goals, assists and talent on the pitch. grass.
The 22-year-old full-back is already considered a ‘home hero’, and is that Foden was a ball boy during his childhood at the Etihad Stadium in the first steps of the club under the tenure of Sheikh Mansour, Arab Sheikh who bought the entity in 2008 and who has brought it to the very forefront of world football’s elite.
Phil Foden. From City ball boy to European champion 🏆
Hometown hero. pic.twitter.com/N6zhVlfOPS
— CUP90 (@Cup90) June 10, 2023
One of the episodes he most remembers during that ‘ball boy’ phase dates back to April 31, 2012, the date on which the Manchester City beat United in the city derby thanks to a goal from Vincent Kompany which gave him the three points and the command to the ‘azzurri’ in the absence of two days to play. “I was in the opposite door, I remember the stadium collapsed when the ball went in and I jumped over the billboards in excitement.” he has declared.
The Stockport man always remembers that first leg as a City fan in which his team were regulars in the bottom half of the table: “I don’t have very clear ideas, but I remember that they always beat us and we were close to relegation,” said the Briton in 2018. It must not have been easy being an Azzurri fan in the days of Manchester United’s dominance under Alex Ferguson, the manager who was in charge of Old Trafford dIn 27 years he has won 13 Premier League titles.
Phil Foden now adds European champion medal to unrivaled 22-year-old record: 5 times Premier League champion, 2 FA Cups, 4 Carabao Cups and 2 Community Shieldsa trophy room that of that 12-year-old boy who attended the Etihad I could only imagine.