THE JOURNEY SO FAR: A BOY NAMED FODEN

--THE JOURNEY--

“ANAK INI SEPERTI BARU KEMARIN BERUSIA 11 TAHUN”

Pengumpan Gol ke-200 Sergio Aguero kemarin ternyata baru berumur 11 tahun saat El Kun mencetak gol perdananya bagi Manchester City.

(talksport)

Phil Foden kini hidup dalam impian terindahnya. Hanya berusia 18  tahun, Foden sudah memenangkan Piala Liga, Liga Primer, dan Community Shield – dengan menjadi starter di laga lawan Chelsea kemarin dan membuat kita merasa sudah tua bukan?

Setelah memilih tetap berada di City untuk program pra-musim ketimbang bermain untuk Inggris U-19 di Piala Eropa, peraih penghargaan BBC Sports Personality of the Year ini dipercaya memulai laga di Wembley oleh Pep Guardiola.

Cocok tampil di posisi yang biasanya diisi nama besar macam David Silva atau Kevin De Bruyne, Foden terlihat seperti bermain di rumahnya sendiri selama 76 menit di lapangan – bahkan mencatat pencapaian bersejarah dalam laga tersebut.

Tusukan dan operan pintarnya menuju kea rah Aguero yang tak terkawal membuat Aguero mencetak goll ke-200nya dalam 293 laga bersama City.

Yang menarik adalah gol perdana ‘El-Kun’ untuk City setelah pindah dari Atletico Madrid dengan nilai £38 juta saat melawan Swansea City 2011 lalu, Foden ternyata baru berumur  tahun.

Si Biru Kecil Foden, yang bergabung bahkan sebelum berumur 9 tahun, sebenarnya malah sempat menjadi ballboy pada musim 2011/2012 lalu – musim dimana Aguero mencetak gol bersejarah lainnya.

 Anak Emas Inggris di Piala Dunia U-17 tahun kemarin ini mencatat 10 laga untuk City musim lalu dan menjadi pemain termuda yang pernah menerima medali Liga Primer.

Dengan dicoretnya opsi peminjaman oleh Pep dan City memilih untuk menahannya dalam skuad utama, “Iniesta dari Stockport” ini ditunggu aksi-aksi lainnya musim ini.

Bahkan, salah satu fansnya, Pep Guardiola, menyatakan Foden sudah siap bertugas.

“Dia sudah siap musim lalu. Sekarang setahun setelahnya, dia akan lebih matang.” Puji Guardiola setelah menang di Wembley.

“Dia berlatih bersama kami musim lalu dan berjuang keras bersaing dengan pemain lainnya. Bagus untuk memiliki pemain berbakat sepertinya. Dia adalah fans City dan seorang Mancunian yang berarti bagus untuk kami.”

[ENGLISH TEXT]

Phil Foden Was 11 When Aguero Scored His First City Goal, He Assisted His 200th Yesterday

Phil Foden is living the dream right now. At just 18 years of age, he's won the League Cup, the Premier League and the Community Shield - starring in the latter game against Chelsea yesterday and making us all feel very old in the process.

After electing to stay with City for a full pre-season instead of joining up with England Under 19's for the European Championships, the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year was handed a start at Wembley by Pep Guardiola.

With Foden slotting into one of the midfield positions that would normally be occupied by David Silva or Kevin De Bruyne, he looked perfectly at home during his 76 minutes on the pitch - even creating a bit of history in the game.

His run and smart pass led to Sergio Aguero getting off the mark for the campaign and scoring his 200th City goal in 293 appearances in sky blue colours.

What's even more incredible about the milestone is that when 'Kun' opened his account for City against Swansea City in 2011 after his £38 million move from Atletico Madrid, Foden was just 11 years of age.

Boyhood blue Foden, who joined the club at under nine level, was actually a ballboy for the title-winning 2011/12 season - which of course concluded with that goal from Aguero in the dying embers of the season.

The Golden Boy of England's Under 17 World Cup win last year, he made 10 appearances for City last season and became the youngest player to receive a Premier League winners' medal.

With a loan move off the cards and City preferring to keep him amongst the squad, the "Stockport Iniesta" is expected to feature a lot more this season.

In fact, his biggest admirer, Guardiola, says he's ready for the task at hand.

"He was ready last season. Now he is one year on, he is more mature," Guardiola said after the win at Wembley.

"He was training last season with us and he fought well with all of our players. It is so good to have another player with his talent. He's a City fan and Mancunian and it is so good for us."

♣♦JONI KEMPET♥♠