England and Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden has been under enormous pressure since he was a teenager in the game and is set to represent England at the Qatar World Cup.
Phil Foden has admitted that the most difficult aspect of being a footballer is ‘getting to bed early.’
At the age of 22, the England and Manchester City midfielder is already one of the country’s biggest stars. He’s been in the spotlight since making his debut in 2017 by scoring two goals in the U17 World Cup final.
Foden has since gone on to deliver on his potential and become a first-team star for City, winning four Premier League titles. But while the midfield maestro has no problem handling the pressure on the biggest stages, he revealed discipline in sleeping early and avoiding distractions to be the biggest challenges.
He told Esquire: “There’s so much going on out there for a young footballer like myself. The hardest thing is being in bed early and ready to train the next day when there are all these distractions around. I think that’s where the dedication comes in.”
The playmaker has made just shy of 200 appearances for his boyhood club already which unsurprisingly sees him receive a fair bit of attention online and in the media. But he went on to cite the pressures of the media as another difficult aspect of being a modern-day footballer.
Asked if he thinks players get a hard time in the media, he said: “‘Yeah, I do and I think it’s getting worse. I think the younger generation is all wrapped up in their phones and on social media.
“I find it [social media] boring. There’s too much negative stuff. A lot of people don’t know anything about football. I just ignore it, it’s not for me.”
Foden is expected to earn a spot on the plane to Qatar when Gareth Southgate names his squad this week. The youngster was a regular part of England’s inspiring run to the Euro 2020 final last summer but missed out in the final against Italy after picking up an injury in training beforehand.
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