Phil Foden reveals his Euro 2020 final pain… and insists England can DEFINITELY win the World Cup

Phil Foden has spoken of his heartbreak at missing the ‘biggest game of my life’ after suffering a freak injury before the Euro 2020 final.

The 22-year-old midfielder could only watch on from the sidelines as England suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Italy on penalties at Wembley.

He told Esquire: ‘[I was] just walking in from training and someone’s passed me a ball and I’ve decided to do a stupid touch and gone over on my foot.

Phil Foden missed out on playing in the Euro 2020 final after suffering a foot injury

‘I felt a crack in the top of my foot and I couldn’t walk. I knew straight away.

‘The full world was watching, talking about the final, and here’s me got injured just before probably the biggest game of my life.’

The Manchester City star is expected to play a pivotal role in England’s bid to win the World Cup in Qatar, which begins later this month.

Manchester City star is expected to play a pivotal role in England’s bid to win the World Cup

Asked whether he thinks England can win the World Cup, he replied: ‘Definitely.’

The 22-year-old features on the front cover of Esquire UK’s Winter 2022 but he is keen to focus on his football.

He said: ‘There’s so much going on out there for a young footballer like myself. The hardest thing is being in bed early and ready to train the next day when there’s all these distractions around. I think that’s where the dedication comes in.

The 22-year-old says he found it difficult at first dealing with being recognised in public

‘Obviously, growing up you do see people around you earning lots of money from playing football. I definitely felt the pressure of that. I wanted to be able to look after my family. But my job was just to keep focused on the game. My aim was to just enjoy myself. To play with a smile on my face.

‘Once I step on the pitch, everything else just goes away. Whatever is going on in my life, it disappears. I think some players struggle with [all the distractions], but not me. I just love football. Nothing can ever get in the way. When I wake up, I can’t wait to get to training. I don’t think that’ll ever change.’

Foden has been nicknamed the ‘Stockport Iniesta’ in reference to Barcelona and Spain legend Andres Iniesta but he plays down the comparison.

‘It’s a nice compliment but I’ve no idea why. He was just too good,’ he said.

Stockport star has played down comparison to Barcelona and Spain legend Andres Iniesta

Foden features on the front cover of Esquire UK’s Winter 2022

Foden says he found it difficult at first dealing with adulation.

He added: ‘Cars would pull up and people would ask for a photo when I was just walking down the street in Stockport. It was quite strange, getting used to it. But I just try to be respectful and polite.’

Foden is not a fan of social media.

‘Yeah, I do and I think it’s getting worse. I think the younger generation are all wrapped up in their phones, in social media’, he said.

‘I find it boring. There’s too much negative stuff. A lot of people who don’t know anything about football. I just ignore it, it’s not for me.’