I was in my university days when the U-17 FIFA World Cup went live in my city. There were sleepless nights to book tickets and standing in long queues to collect them.
In the lead up to the gala event, a lot of stories were doing the rounds around an under-17 player, who was so important for his club that they won’t let him play beyond the group stages because of their UCL aspirations.
Yes, a young Jadon Sancho, who looked probably sharper than what he is today, impressed the crowd before calling it quits to join his Borussia Dortmund duty.
But it was one of his teammates who created a huge fan following among the local spectators when the final whistle of the final match of the tourney was blown.
The teenager collected accolades from all corners along with the golden ball for being the best player of the tournament. I was lucky enough to witness a lot of matches live at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata and most of them featured England with this gifted young kid pulling the strings.
His proud parents and other family members were overjoyed in the stands as the crowd became ecstatic on his every single move. The footwork seemed like elegant brushstrokes on a green canvas. He almost single-handedly crowned England champions of the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup.
It was my first brush with the aesthetic livewire named Phil Foden.
A lot of water has flown through the Ganges as well as the Thames since then. Foden rose through the ranks to become one of Guardiola’s most trusted lieutenants. He played a pivotal role when Manchester City ticked their distant dream of winning a treble two years back.
Cut to Fantasy Premier League 2024-25, he was not a very chased-after asset until a few gameweeks ago. The England international didn’t have the best start when the ongoing PL season kick-started in August.
Foden had to deal with an injury problem which forced him out from the entirety of GW2, GW3, and GW4. He again missed two successive matches in GW14 and GW15. However, there’s been no stopping him since GW17. Phil scored a 9-pointer against Villa and didn’t need to look back for once after it.
Barring the Everton match in GW18, he has been too kind to his FPL managers with ample attacking returns. The rise has been astronomical for Foden’s stock, in this time period.
In between GW17 and GW22, he has amassed a jaw-dropping 59 pts! Which means he has averaged 10 pts per game and that’s phenomenal to say the least.
The last two gameweeks have witnessed probably the best of Foden in a long time. There were two consecutive away fixtures against Brentford and Ipswich respectively. Foden set the pitch ablaze with hauls of 15 pts and 19 pts in the two ties. And he is still owned by only 7.7% of the FPL teams, making him a strong differential before gameweek 23.
I think he has got his old pair of goal-scoring boots back along with the momentum. Also, players around him have started to deliver – KDB, Haaland, Doku, Kovacic, Savinho, all are in good shape now.
After a dismal patch of sordid performances coupled with shock defeats, Pep Guardiola seems to have taken City right back on track. And Phil Foden appears to be the most significant piece of the jigsaw puzzle.
Though City has a difficult run of fixtures till gameweek 29, things should be okay from an attacking perspective. With the quality Guardiola’s side has in the attacking third, Foden is likely to have his name on the scoresheet. He carries an xGI of 0.66 per 90′. Hence, points from goals, assists and may be clean sheets too.
Therefore, if you are planning to shuffle your FPL midfield before GW23, don’t think twice before signing him. From what I have seen in front of my eyes seven years back, I can personally vouch for a fully-fit Phil Foden. And won’t mind playing a ‘Russian Roulette’ with my money and life on him.
