The Catalan coach once claimed the midfielder was the most talented player he'd worked with, but Foden has needed time to fully realise his potential
Pep Guardiola has coached a lot of players throughout his career, and many of them would make it into the starting XI of the best players of the 21st century. He watched Lionel Messi grow from a boy who was so shy his team-mates thought he was a mute into the best player of all time. He watched Xavi Hernandez take his place in the Barcelona team and then, as manager, enjoyed the midfielder's best days.
He observed the rise of Andres Iniesta, of whom he famously told Xavi: "You will retire me but this kid will retire us all". At Bayern Munich, he worked with Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben, Thiago Alcantara and Robert Lewandowski, to name but a few. At City, he has had Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Sergio Aguero and now Erling Haaland.
But in the summer of 2019, without being asked, he volunteered who he thought was the most talented player he had ever worked with. To widespread bafflement, he chose a 19-year-old who at the time had only made three Premier League starts. He chose Phil Foden.
GettyGuardiola's words stand test of time
"He has everything to become one of the best players," Guardiola told a press conference in Japan during City's pre-season tour of Asia ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. "I have said many times in press conferences, but maybe not said it in front of him, Phil is the most, most, most talented player I have ever seen in my career as a manager. His only problem is sometimes his manager doesn't put him in the starting XI. Hopefully in the future, that can improve."
Guardiola certainly had a point, and in the four years that have followed, Foden has developed into one of the best players in the world and one of the most decorated, collecting five Premier League titles, four League Cups, two FA Cups and, finally, the Champions League.
However, while he has more than played his part in those triumphs, he was never quite the main man. He still has not got to the level of Iniesta or Messi. And as, Guardiola alluded to in 2019, sometimes his manager still does not put him in the starting XI.
Foden was essentially a squad player when City won the treble, appearing mostly as a substitute in the Premier League title run-in, not playing at all in the FA Cup final and only coming off the bench in the Champions League final after De Bruyne got injured.
Foden was even a substitute in the Community Shield against Arsenal, dampening hopes that this would be the season he moved into midfield and truly locked down his place in the starting XI.
AdvertisementGetty An opportunity presents itself
However, things now seem to be falling right into place for Foden to become far more than a squad player or even a very good regular. This is his moment to shine, to become City's most influential player and to show that Guardiola was not just hyping him up all those years ago. Early signs are he is grabbing it with both hands.
Last season it is fair to say that Foden lost the battle with Jack Grealish for his favoured position on the left of City's attack. The summer departure of Ilkay Gundogan, though, has opened up a spot for him in midfield, and that was where he was deployed in the opening game of the Premier League season at Burnley.
De Bruyne's injury in the first half at Turf Moor opened up another place in the team, and Foden stepped into the captain's usual role in the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla. He and City both toiled in the scorching Athens heat and needed a Cole Palmer equaliser to force penalties, from which they won the trophy. Seeing how City struggled against an ultra-competitive Sevilla, many people concluded that Guardiola's side were not the same without the brilliant Belgian.
However, against Newcastle, they barely noticed his absence as Foden took a huge step forward, delivering one of the best performances of his career.
Getty 'Absolutely sensational'
Against a well-drilled Newcastle side who had the joint-best defensive record in the league last season alongside City, the midfielder set up Julian Alvarez's decisive goal with a masterful piece of play.
He urged Mateo Kovacic to thread the ball between two Newcastle players before spinning past them with two deft touches of his left foot and laying it off, across the floor, for Alvarez to strike into the top corner.
But Foden's performance was about so much more than the goal. He created a total of seven chances, the best return of his career in a single game. In Europe's top nine leagues, no one has created more scoring opportunities than him at this early stage of the season. In the studio, Alan Shearer was gushing in praise for the man who had taken down his beloved former side.
"He was absolutely sensational. He was the best player on the park by a mile and he looked so comfortable in that in that position in the middle of the park, in the 10 position," Shearer said. "I think he's superb at doing that, receiving the ball on the half turn, getting into those little those little pockets in front of the back four and then behind the midfield. Just have a look at Alvarez – he doesn't even look where he is. He knows exactly where he is, knows exactly what he wants to do."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty Images`Overtaken by Grealish
Foden scored seven goals in his first season with City, the breakthrough campaign which led to Guardiola lavishing him praise. In his first full season, he netted eight goals and provided nine assists. His most productive campaign to date came next, scoring 16 goals and laying on 10 assists, although City fans were not there to see him weave his magic due to coronavirus restrictions.
However, Foden's reward was for City to then spend £100 million ($127m) to sign Grealish in the summer of 2021, with the objective of playing him on the left of the attack. Foden, though, successfully fought off the challenge from Grealish, contributing 14 goals and 11 assists in the 2021-22 season.
Grealish, however, soon managed to acclimatise to his new surroundings and Foden was in the unexpected position of being a squad player last term. He also had some misfortune, suffering a foot injury shortly after the World Cup and then falling ill with appendicitis. Being Foden, he still managed to end the campaign with 15 goals, including a hat-trick against Manchester United, the team his father and brother support. There were also eight assists.