Pep Guardiola hailed Phil Foden’s brilliant performance in Manchester City’s victory over Borussia Dortmund, insisting the forward has returned to his top form.
The England international was the star of the show on Wednesday night as City recorded an emphatic 4-1 win over the German side to continue their unbeaten start to the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League.
Foden, 25, was named the player of the season in the Cityzens’ 2023-24 EPL winning campaign, but suffered a dip in form and struggled badly last season.
However, his brace on Wednesday moved him to four goals in all competitions in just 13 appearances this season.
“This season, he’s back, yeah, this season. Not just Phil, all of us, we struggled [last season]”, Guardiola admitted after the win.
“When Phil is at that level, when playing between the lines, in the pockets, it doesn’t matter what happens.
“He’s a special player, but we need his goals, definitely, and today make, hopefully, the first step to do it. It’s important to have him back.”
The England international opened the scoring for City with a clinical finish in the 22nd minute, before the in-form Erling Haaland added a second afterwards.
Foden scored his second and City’s third of the game in the 57th minute, while Dortmund pulled one back through Waldemar Anton.
Rayan Cherki added a fourth for the home side in stoppage time, gliding past several defenders before firing into the bottom corner.
Foden, 25, moved him to 20 goals in the UCL, becoming the second-youngest player to achieve the feat – behind Wayne Rooney (24 years and 157 days).
“When we won the fourth Premier League in a row he was the best player in the Premier League”, the Spaniard added.
“He’s a top-class player. We miss him a lot and now you feel he’s back.”
Manchester City moved up to fourth on the UCL standings with 10 points from four matches and are back in action against Bayer Leverkusen on the 25th of November.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
