Man City Star Phil Foden Reveals Reason He Missed The ‘Biggest Game Of His Life’

Phil Foden has expressed his heartbreak at missing the ‘biggest game of his life’ due to a freak injury suffered before the Euro 2020 final.

The 22-year-old midfielder could only observe from the sidelines as England was heartbrokenly defeated by Italy on penalties at Wembley.

In an interview with Esquire, he said, ‘[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.’

The Manchester City ace is poised to play a key role in England’s World Cup quest, which begins later this month in Qatar.

When asked if he thinks England can win the World Cup, he said, ‘Definitely.’

The 22-year-old is on the cover of Esquire UK’s Winter 2022, but he is more concerned about his football.

He said: ‘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 has been nicknamed the “Stockport Iniesta” after Barcelona and Spain icon Andres Iniesta, although he dismisses the comparison.

‘It’s a nice compliment but I’ve no idea why. He was just too good,’ he said.

Foden says that dealing with adulation was challenging at first.

He added: ‘Cars would pull up and people would ask for a photo when I was just walking down the street in Stockport. It was quite strange, getting used to it. But I just try to be respectful and polite.’

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Foden is not a fan of social media.

‘Yeah, I do and I think it’s getting worse. I think the younger generation are all wrapped up in their phones, in social media’, he said.

‘I find it boring. There’s too much negative stuff. A lot of people who don’t know anything about football. I just ignore it, it’s not for me.’