Man City ace Phil Foden discloses the ‘stupid’ reason he missed the ‘biggest game of his life’
To say Phil Foden’s life is going well right now would be an understatement.
Last month, the Manchester City attacker signed a three-year contract extension with the club he has supported his entire life, capping off a remarkable five-year climb that saw him capture four Premier League winner’s trophies.
With a World Cup to look forward to with England and many years of club and international success ahead of him, Foden could easily get carried away and lose sight of why he plays the game. But there appears to be little possibility of that happening.
Foden spoke about the necessity of young players being focused despite the distractions that stardom always brings in an exclusive interview with Esquire UK for their winter 2022 issue, which goes on sale on November 10th.
“There’s so much going on out there for a young footballer like myself. The hardest thing is being in bed early and ready to train the next day when there’s all these distractions around. I think that’s where the dedication comes in,” Foden said.
“Once I step on the pitch, everything else just goes away. Whatever is going on in my life, it disappears. I think some players struggle with [all the distractions], but not me. I just love football. Nothing can ever get in the way. When I wake up, I can’t wait to get to training. I don’t think that’ll ever change.
“When you’re getting paid so much and you’ve got everything you want, sometimes it’s hard to feel the same hunger. That’s what I feel, looking from the outside at certain players.”
Foden stated that outside pressure can get to him at times, but he has never lost sight of why he wanted to be a professional footballer.
“Obviously, growing up you do see people around you earning lots of money from playing football. I definitely felt the pressure of that. I wanted to be able to look after my family. But my job was just to keep focused on the game. My aim was to just enjoy myself. To play with a smile on my face.”
He and his England colleagues will have to deal with pressure during the forthcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Since losing the European Championship final to Italy in 2021, Gareth Southgate’s team has had a terrible year.
They’ll be eager to put their problems behind them and demonstrate why they’re one of the top teams in the world, but Foden will provide added motivation.
The City forward injured his foot just before the final 16 months ago, denying him the opportunity to play in a major international final at Wembley.
“[I was] just walking in from training and someone’s passed me a ball and I’ve decided to do a stupid touch and gone over on my foot. I felt a crack in the top of my foot and I couldn’t walk. I knew straight away. The full world was watching, talking about the final, and here’s me got injured just before probably the biggest game of my life.”
Foden is under a lot of pressure, both from a nation’s expectations and from his personal problems. He seemed to be up to the task.
Man City ace Phil Foden discloses the ‘stupid’ reason he missed the ‘biggest game of his life’
