Phil Foden: Lionel Messi Questioned Sergio Aguero on Manchester City Star’s Potential

• Phil Foden's meteoric rise from Manchester City's academy caught the attention of Lionel Messi
• The Englishman has grown to be the heartbeat of Pep Guardiola's team, winning multiple titles
• Messi shares an almost similar storyline to Foden in how they both made their mark in football

Lionel Messi is said to have been amazed by the early potential Phil Foden oozed when he made his breakthrough at Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola handed Foden his debut in 2017 in a UEFA Champions League tie against Feyenoord when he was just 17 years old.

He has since been regarded as one of the best young talents in the world, having amassed 15 major titles, including the Champions League, in five years.

Foden has been a mainstay for Guardiola but has sometimes been forced to play second-fiddle to Kevin De Bruyne. This season, he has enjoyed increased game time after the Belgian tore his hamstring in the first game of the season against Burnely.

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It turns out that English international also caught the attention of one of the greatest players ever to step on the pitch - Messi.

Messi asked about Foden

The Mirror reports that Messi asked his international compatriot, Sergio Aguero about how good Foden was in training. Aguero played with Foden for four years thereabout before he ditched Manchester for Barcelona.

The celebrated striker is one of the veteran's closest friends and featured alongside the Inter Miami forward 81 times for the Argentina national team.

Messi was the main player in Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona team as a young player. Comparisons have been drawn between him and Foden in terms of style of play and creativity.

Messi, however, remains with a clear edge as far as goalscoring is concerned. This season, Foden has nine goal involvements for Manchester City, as captured by Transfermarkt.

Mbappe: Messi deserves Ballon d'Or

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Sports Brief reported on Kylian Mbappe saying Messi deserves the Ballon d'Or after outrage from fans claiming Erling Haaland should have won.

He acknowledged the Norwegian striker’s achievements but claimed it did not weigh as much compared to winning the FIFA World Cup title.

Messi won the coveted individual award by a margin of 105 points over the Premier League star and many believe Haaland is a future winner.