A special kid

At a 2012 youth tournament in Madrid, Manchester City’s Under-12s proved no match for their Juventus counterparts. Managed by legendary striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, the Italian youngsters were bigger, stronger and more athletic than the English kids. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Anderlecht were all represented, and all advanced beyond the competition’s group stage; City did not.

Nevertheless, it was one of City’s young players that elicited excited whispers among coaches and, despite his side’s failure, was named the overall best player. The Juventus coach sought out Phil Foden as soon as the final whistle blew, wrapping his arm around the tiny pre-teen for a photograph.

“This kid is going to be special,” Ravanelli prophesised.

Foden was just six years old when he was spotted by City. The club’s head of academy recruitment, Terry John, put on a coaching session at Bridge Hall Primary School in Stockport. After running a group of eight-year-olds – which included Foden’s older brother Callum – through basic drills, John asked if he could do the same with a younger class. One boy immediately caught the eye. He was smaller than his peers, but the natural balance and close control he displayed as he dribbled between training cones was striking. John left his business card with Foden’s teacher and asked that the boy’s parents contact him – Manchester City were interested in their son.

“I sat both parents down,” John remembers. “I said, ‘Look, you’ve got a little diamond.’”

Academies in English football are precluded from signing children before they reach Under-9 level. Instead, City fostered affiliations with ten local grassroots clubs