Ronnie played a key role in City’s celebrations after winning the Champions League, from signing with Rico Lewis aboard the team bus to dancing with the players while perched on his father Phil’s shoulders in the changing room. His Internet fame spread like wildfire, and City supporters have since given him the Spanish nickname “El Way,” which means “The Dude.”
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“His character has shaped him into the person he is. Following [our] Champions League victory, I believe he became pretty popular. Phil Foden remarked in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, “He really reminds me of myself when I was a youngster and he’s quite hilarious.
“He is a very experienced player, a player for big clubs, a player that’s already played a lot of games in La Liga, in the Premier League,” he said at his press conference.
“I found it hard to believe. On my social media page, he was requested in every comment. I created an account for him because I figured I’d give the people what they wanted, and it immediately took off.
Ronnie reached the one million follower milestone and currently has 3.9 million followers just 14 hours after Foden created his account.
In Istanbul, the night had belonged to the senior Foden until Ronnie grabbed center stage. Early in the first half, the 23-year-old smoothly took over for Kevin De Bruyne, who had to leave the game due to a hamstring injury. His dynamism and determination were crucial in helping City defeat Inter Milan’s disciplined team and win the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Due to De Bruyne’s injury absence at the beginning of this season, Foden was forced to take over this position in the middle of the park. Pep Guardiola used him predominantly on the left wing last season, but as his player-of-the-match showing against Newcastle United shown, he is at ease in a more central position.
‘New position is my favourite’
“I think the one I played in against Newcastle, that’s my favourite one. I felt alive in that game, I felt myself more and I could get on the ball and do things. That’s always been me as a player and hopefully I can keep playing there and show people what I can do,” he said.
“It [the position] is one I can handle. There’s a lot of responsibility, it’s not just about going forward. You have to know what you’re doing defensively and know who is around you. But, it’s one that I can definitely do and I’m looking forward, if I can play there more often, what I can do in there.”
Despite Foden’s showing against Newcastle, Bernardo Silva was picked ahead of him for the subsequent game against Sheffield United last weekend. The arrivals of Matteo Kovacic, Mattheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku this summer will only further increase the level of rotation in the starting XI but it is something Foden has grown accustomed to.
You’re a member of one of the top teams in the entire world. Even if you performed well in the previous game, you are not assured to play in every game. We’ve observed that our manager likes to rotate his team and utilize the entire roster. You must accept his choice since he selects different players for each game and has a different situation for each one, he remarked.
I’m used to it, but I’m hoping I can continue playing a lot of football now that Kev [De Bruyne] is hurt and the squad needs me. I therefore aspire to fulfill that role and endeavor to accomplish good deeds there.
‘Now we want to win quadruple.’
Over the last five Premier League seasons, City’s offensive prowess has resulted in an average of 94.6 goals per season. The last time City wasn’t the top-scoring club in a league season is all the way back in 2016/17. Foden attributes the group’s success to its defense, though.
“In this team, forwards often receive the praise, but our defenders are among the finest in the world. We have earned a great deal of victories thanks to the defense. We’ve succeeded because of how diligently we work away from the ball, covering for one another, and filling in, he claimed.
The arrogant way that City finished the last season is how they have started this one. They are the only team in the league to have won their first three games, and they are the favorites to win the championship for a record fourth time. City’s only uncertainty is whether they’ll be able to inspire themselves to go again following the heights they reached last year.
“I recall having a conversation about this with Jack [Grealish]. We both looked at each other when the Champions League was over and wondered, “How are we going to get that high again?” It nearly made me feel a little depressed, he admitted.
We had a brief debate and decided that the only option was to repeat the process or perform the quadruple. Now, that is the goal. We must attempt it once more. The guys are desiring that now and want to do it again, even though I know it’s practically impossible because it’s such a difficult thing to do.
