Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham are England’s Golden Boys who carry their country’s flag around Europe and score for fun… but something has to give when Man City take on Real Madrid this evening.

English football’s two brightest talents cross paths again on Wednesday evening as Manchester City host Real Madrid with a place in the Champions League semi-finals on the line.

Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham have both enjoyed exceptional seasons so far, presenting Gareth Southgate with an intriguing tactical conundrum ahead of the Euros.

Bellingham made England’s number 10 his own, while Southgate deployed Foden on the right wing in friendlies against Belgium and Brazil last month.

The 23-year-old has also played mainly out wide for City, but has shone when deployed in the No.10 role this season and has already made it clear that he sees it as his preferred long-term position. term.

From a statistical point of view, it is almost impossible to separate Foden and Bellingham.

The two crossed paths last week as City held Real Madrid to a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of the quarter-final.

The two England stars have taken the Premier League and La Liga by storm this season.

The former has lit up the Premier League for City, racking up 14 goals and seven assists in 30 appearances.

Foden’s stunning effort in last week’s 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu was his 22nd goal of the season in 45 appearances in all competitions this season, with 10 assists.

“He has this spark and this incredible talent to score goals and create something,” Guardiola said of Foden after his Madrid exploits.

The most successful midfielder in La Liga, Bellingham has 20 goals and 10 assists to his name in 34 matches in all competitions.

Before the first leg, Guardiola praised Bellingham’s “massive impact on Madrid”, a point echoed by Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday.

“For the future of Real Madrid he will be one of the most important players,” he said.

“Sometimes we forget that he is only 20 years old, he is a fantastic player.”

Perhaps the only major difference between the two is their usage.

According to Opta data, Foden has logged almost 600 more minutes on the pitch than Bellingham, which translates to around six and a half more matches.

Foden has scored five Champions League goals in seven matches, the most recent being a superb effort at the Santiago Bernabeu last week.

Foden has 22 goals and 10 assists to his name in 45 appearances in all competitions

Bellingham has four goals and three assists in seven Champions League games this season

The 20-year-old has already made Real Madrid’s midfield his own during his first season in Spain.

The figures are even closer if we only consider Champions League matches.

Foden has five goals and three assists in 564 minutes on the pitch in seven games, while Bellingham has played 624 minutes in seven games and has four goals and three assists to his name.

Both players are absolutely vital figures for their respective teams, their importance underlined by their passing statistics per 90 minutes and their involvement in goals.

Bellingham averages 56.6 touches per game to Foden’s 53.5 and has been involved in a goal every 99 minutes, while the figures stand at 111 for Foden.

The Real Madrid star has scored every 149 minutes this season, while his England teammate has found the net every 162 minutes.

Across all competitions, the City star averages 3.5 shots per 90 minutes and 1.5 shots per game respectively compared to 2.6 and 1.2 for his Real Madrid counterpart, but Bellingham has a better shot rate. shot conversion – 23.5 to 16.1.

Bellingham leads Foden in terms of dribbles attempted per 90 minutes – 3.3 to 2.9 respectively – with both completing 89 percent of their passes.

Bellingham also leads Foden in tackles per 90 minutes – 1.6 to 0.9 – and interceptions per 90 minutes – 0.8 to 0.4 – but the latter create slightly more chances per game – 2 .3 to 1.8.

Just like their respective clubs’ quarter-finals, the duel between Foden and Bellingham is well balanced.