From a humble Stockport upbringing to footballer of the year: the rise of Phil Foden, the Man City star who wins on the pitch and now earns MILLIONS

Phil Foden admitted last month that he was always nervous at Manchester City, carrying the standard for the thousands of boys who want to emulate his journey.

“I have butterflies in my stomach when I arrive at the stadium and I know it’s gone. It’s been difficult at times, you know, being a City fan who was a ball boy and then coming through the levels to the first team,” he told Mail Sport.

“I don’t think it’ll ever really change, you know? A little bit of that feeling will always be there,” he admitted.

Whatever his apprehensions or doubts, two things are certain: he has succeeded, and he is capitalizing on his talent both off and on the field.

Foden’s rise was further enhanced by him being crowned the Football Writers’ Association’s Men’s Footballer of the Year for the first time, an honor steeped in the prestige of Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bobby Charlton. He received 42 percent of the vote.

He was named Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association.

Foden’s young family goes on the trip with him (partner Rebecca Cooke holds daughter True, while son Ronnie holds the trophy)

Foden and his girlfriend Rebecca Cooke recently announced they are expecting their third child together – pictured with son Ronnie, five, and daughter True, 12 months.

Not that he needs confirmation – he’s already a five-time Premier League winner and one-time European champion. But it is a waypoint on an ever-upward trajectory, a journey from brick terraced house to £3 million mansion and global celebrity.

His mother, Claire, once described her son as “the cheapest kid ever”. She told the Daily Telegraph that her childhood was: “No games, no toys, nothing, just a football.”

This bond between boy and ball developed a special talent on the streets near the Edgeley Park pitch in Stockport County, where he played with his older brother Callum.

The Man City star grew up in a modest terrace house with his parents Phil Snr and Claire, while he is one of five children, with Kenzi, Lois and Avayah, his younger siblings.

Manchester United fan Phil Snr manages his son’s career, while his mother Claire takes credit for keeping his feet on the ground.

Foden was given the nickname “Ronnie” by his paternal grandmother Mary, calling him “Ronnie Roundhead” due to the shape of his head, the name being used to avoid confusion with his father.

He has not lost sight of this education. Foden always wears the number 47 in tribute to his grandfather who died at that age.

“I was young when we lost him. I remember going to Wales with him and doing a few other trips. My dad says he loved playing football with me,” Foden told Mail Sport.

Spotted by Man City as a youngster, Foden rose through the ranks of their academy and made his debut in 2017, aged 17.

Man City and England star Foden spoke to Mail Sport in an exclusive interview last month.

“I asked my dad if he would be happy if I wore that number. He said it would be great, so I took the jersey number and I’ve loved it ever since.

“I have it tattooed on me now and it’s a shirt I never see changing. It’s nice to create your own legacy. It’s a strange number that no one else will choose, so I hope that in years to come, when I’m finished, 47 at City will be remembered by Phil Foden.

Giving back to his family is important to him.

The £200,000-a-week star, who collaborates with Nike, Hugo Boss and jewelry brand Cernucci, has used her wealth to provide for those close to her.

Foden previously bought his family a six-bed gated house worth £3million in the picturesque village of Prestbury, Cheshire, and also bought his grandmother a £200,000 house giving on the bay, just off the road where he grew up.

The star also moved into a £2.85 million mansion with long-term partner Rebecca Cooke in 2022, along with son Ronnie, five, and the couple’s three-year-old daughter.

Foden’s off-field earnings could soon match his talent, with his endorsements having soared to £1.4 million, or £117,000 a month.

His rise from Man City’s academy to Footballer of the Year appeared serene on the surface. Foden won the Golden Ball as England won the Under-17 World Cup in 2017, while also winning two PFA Young Player of the Year awards.

Foden – or “Ronnie”, as he is universally known to his family and friends – lives in a £2.85 million mansion with his partner Rebecca Cooke, as well as his son and daughter.

His off-field income is said to have soared to £1.4 million, or £117,000 a month.

Yet Foden has been forced to bide his time at club level despite Guardiola’s initial clamor to make him a squad fixture.

We saw another youngster, Cole Palmer, develop in these circumstances, reluctant to sit on the bench despite feeling he can make an immediate impact, and he proved all the doubters wrong at Chelsea .

But Foden’s trajectory with his beloved club is one that seemed destined from those first fleeting glimpses into the blue sky, foreshadowing the glory days to come.

It hasn’t always been easy.

Foden and Mason Greenwood were both sent home by England boss Gareth Southgate in 2020 after footage emerged of the pair bringing girls back to the team hotel in Iceland. They were fined and it overshadowed their international debut. The city called this “completely unacceptable.”

Gareth Southgate saw his potential and never lost confidence, saying: “We know what he can do and he is someone who is going to be exciting for the next few years for England.”

Calling it exciting now seems like an understatement, but what should we know?

Things haven’t always been rosy at City either. Foden was offered another recall by Guardiola at the end of 2021, after he and Jack Grealish were pictured on a night out and dropped for a match against Newcastle.

Foden also faced off-field problems after his mother Claire Rowlands was arrested and fined following a drunken incident in which she snatched a man’s cap.

He grew up in a modest terrace house, next to a parade of nondescript takeaways and beauty salons in Stockport.

“The only thing I want from Phil is to control his life, on and off the pitch, to be more professional, more focused. I know how much he loves playing football, but football is not “It’s not just what we do on the pitch,” Guardiola said. . “He already has a family and it’s so good for him, he has a girlfriend and two babies.”

If there had been behavioral problems during those juvenile years, Foden has shed that image and is now recognized as a model professional.

A total of 24 goals and 10 assists this season is testament to his talismanic prowess. This is his most fertile campaign to date.

Earlier in the season he scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa in a 4–1 win, a dazzling performance. Guardiola said he “can do whatever he wants” following this.

The next game he started on the bench to rest – that wasn’t what he wanted. And what highlights his status most is how the conversation around this match focused on whether De Bruyne, one of the best playmakers of all time, deserved to replace it.

Foden is not one to listen to history books. He wants to create a brand new historical library.

A record fourth consecutive top-flight English crown is in his sights.

“We know if we win the Premier League this time we will have done something new. It’s something we have our eyes on,” he told Mail Sport last month.

“Every time we put our boots on on the training pitch, this saying is posted on the wall. He says: “No one has won four Premier Leagues in a row…yet.” We want to make history.

“Every day I sit and look at that slogan and think, ‘Why not?’”