Phil Foden praises ‘unbelievable’ Pep Guardiola ahead of UEFA Champions League final

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Manchester City star Phil Foden has labelled Pep Guardiola as an unbelievable coach as well as an inspiration during his childhood.

Speaking to UEFA’s official website, the England international recalled being mesmerised by Guardiola’s legendary FC Barcelona squad in the early 2010s, with the La Liga side being the best club team in the world at that time with the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

Foden has had a stellar season under Guardiola this year, with the 20-year-old hitting 16 goals and assisting a further ten in all competitions, and the City winger revealed he can’t believe that he would one day be coached by the former Barcelona manager.

The Stockport-born attacker said: “I used to watch Barcelona as a kid: it was unbelievable. The way [Guardiola] set them up and how they played one-touch and two-touch football was unbelievable, and I never would have thought that he would be my coach someday.

“I just remember always watching [them] with my dad and thinking: ‘Wow! What a team this is and what a coach they have!’ [Guardiola] has tried to bring that kind of football here and it seems to be working.”

TBR View: Foden can repay Guardiola with big UCL final showcase

A boyhood City fan, Foden has the chance to make history this weekend when the Manchester side take on Chelsea in the club’s first-ever European final. And the England international will want to perform given all that Guardiola has done for the youngster.

The former Bayern Munich manager nurtured the winger into one of the top prospects in world football despite pressure from supporters and the press to start Foden when he was emerging from the youth academy. And Guardiola’s persistence has paid off in a big way.

The coming weeks will be huge for Foden with the Euros starting in June, and a big performance in the Champions League final will be the perfect way to kick off this summer’s football for the 20-year-old winger.