Four years ago, Phil Foden was taken to Russia 2018 by a sportswear company that was marketing him as a future superstar of the global game.
In Qatar over the next month, Foden is determined to prove them right. A lot of judges, commentators, pundits and club team-mates believe the job has already been done, believe Foden’s performances for Manchester City have already secured his place amongst the elite.
The frequent, lavish endorsements from Pep Guardiola and a new five-year Etihad contract worth £60million would endorse that view. But in the build-up to a World Cup, there is, inevitably, a focus on the blue-chip participants and, this time around, we are talking about the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane even.
