phil Foden, Man City’s forgotten golden boy – signs of a resurgence

‘Foden’ shines at Club World Cup – Man City’s gem returns

phil Foden was the star of the show on his return to City at the Club World Cup 2025 in Ouidad Casablanca, scoring the quickest goal of the game five minutes into the match and assisting on Dokou’s goal. it was the moment when the forgotten ‘golden boy’ reasserted himself after recent poor form and criticism.

mental growth and recovery – “Now I have the thirst again”

• suffered a major mental and physical slump last season due to injuries, hard work, and being booed at Man United
• “There are bigger things in life than football” and chose to spend time with his family to recharge his batteries
• returned to the starting lineup for the first time in about five-and-a-half weeks and came out a completely different player

heat, slumps, and the value of recharging

• reached his physical limits in 2023-24, playing 60 combined club and national team games and over 5,000 minutes
• self-diagnosis of “needing time off”, time with family restored both physical and mental health

pep Guardiola’s trust and the ‘No. 10’ experiment

• pep: “Foden is more talented than Messi. the important thing is that he feels good on the pitch”
• played a variety of roles in a 2-3-5 formation at the Club World Cup, but says he is “best suited as a central attacking midfielder (No. 10)”
• key creator in the absence of Browner, dictating the flow of the game against Newcastle

tactical changes and competition – synergy with Schurrle, Reinders and Dockoo

• amid competition for places from newcomers like Schurrle and others, Foden’s central positioning is key to optimizing City’s attack
• schurrle is stronger on the flanks, with Foden’s No.10 position seen as natural choice

the most dangerous player when he plays to his instincts

• foden: “Creating chances and scoring goals is what I want to do”
• the return of Rodriguez and the addition of Reinders have restored balance to the squad… allowing Foden’s instinctive play to shine

conclusion – City’s ‘hungry again’ golden boy, is a resurgence possible?

phil Foden is poised to emerge as a key part of City’s core once again after enduring hardship, injury and mental anguish. with Pep Guardiola’s trust, optimization in the No. 10 position, and instinctive attacking instincts, he could be City’s biggest weapon in 2025. with a forgotten gem poised to shine again, the drama of Phil Foden’s resurgence is beginning.