A video of a 10-year-old Phil Foden criticising former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli for having a ‘bad attitude’ has surfaced on social media.
Foden is one of the leading lights under Pep Guardiola after capping off a remarkable rise through the academy at the club, which he joined at the age of four.
During an apparent trip to Italy during the early days of his career, the now 21-year-old was interviewed by a news station, and asked for his opinions on Balotelli.
Footage of a young Phil Foden criticising Mario Balotelli’s off-field attitude has gone viral
At the time, if Foden was indeed 10 – as many Twitter users believe him to have been – notorious hot-head Balotelli would have joined City the year before, in 2010.
During his stint at the Etihad, the marksman endured several brushes with ill-discipline, including bizarrely setting off fireworks at his home address.
And when questioned on Balotelli, the fresh-faced Foden responded by taking aim at his questionable nature away from the field.
‘He’s a good player but he’s got a bad attitude off the pitch,’ he said.
Foden is one of the leading lights at Manchester City, and joined the club when he was just four
Balotelli, a notorious hothead, won the Premier League at City but was slammed for his antics
In hilarious fashion, a number of the other players who joined Foden for the interview appeared to agree, with a chorus of approval meeting his comment.
Balotelli, despite the chaos that appeared to follow him, enjoyed a successful spell with City. In 80 appearances, he scored 30 goals and recorded seven assists.
He also won the Premier League, having teed up Sergio Aguero for his infamous title-clincher, as well as the FA Cup and Community Shield under Roberto Mancini.
Former City boss Mancini last year lamented the ‘disappointing’ career downward spiral of Balotelli, after the frontman punched a team-mate.
During an apparent trip to Italy, Foden was asked by a TV channel for his opinion on Balotelli
Foden replied by labelling the striker a ‘good player’, but critiqued his questionable attitude
Sportsmail reported how the volatile superstar hit his Adana Demirspor team-mate, having been livid at being substituted during a game in Turkey.
After, Mancini told RAI Sport that it Balotelli not getting close to fulfilling his vast potential was a truly sad state of affairs.
He said, as quoted by Football Italia: ‘I worked with Balotelli when he was young and did really well. He was and still is in terms of technique a great player. Let’s not forget he is 31 years old, so ought to be at his peak.
‘Clearly, it was disappointing for all of us who knew him as a person and a player that in the last five or six years he was unable to do what he was capable of doing.’
Balotelli currently plays for Turkish side Adana Demirspor but still remains in the headlines
Balotelli remains with the same Super Lig side, but played for Monza, Brescia, Marseille, Nice and AC Milan on loan after leaving Liverpool in 2016.
Foden will hope for an even bigger haul of trophies, meanwhile, with a new study placing him as the second-most expensive player in Europe’s top-five leagues.
Analysts as the CIES Football Observatory have used an algorithm to estimate the values of 100 players in the top tiers in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Foden has been ranked at No 2 with an overall value of £127million, placing him £12m behind Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, who is top of the pile.
