Rio Ferdinand has revealed who he thinks is the better midfielder: Phil Foden or Federico Valverde.
In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid, both got on the score sheet in style.
Phil Foden showcased why his shooting is one of the best in the world by placing the ball into the top corner, akin to his opening goal against Manchester United in March.
However, Federico Valverde scored the all-important equaliser for the hosts at the Santiago Bernabeu with a glorious volley.
Foden, 23 and Valverde, 25 are considered some of the best midfielders in the world.
However, the Englishman and the Uruguayan are quite different as players.
Rio Ferdinand picks who is better: Phil Foden or Federico Valverde
Phil Foden is much more of a natural attacking midfielder, in the same vein as Mesut Ozil or Kevin De Bruyne, as opposed to the two-time La Liga winner.
Federico Valverde is much more of an all-action midfielder, who might be comparable to Steven Gerrard.
While the former Penarol attacker can also deputise on the right wing, he would be classed as a box-to-box midfielder.
As a result, the comparison between the two perhaps is not the best one, with Foden being much more of an attacking player in comparison to Valverde.
However, as football discourse goes nowadays, comparisons have become the name of the game among fans and pundits alike, as is evident with the City and Real Madrid midfielders being pitted against each other.
According to Rio Ferdinand, Phil Foden has the edge over Federico Valverde.
“These are hard, man. So different as well. [Federico] Valverde’s a great player but I’m going to just go for Foden just because it’s just, the skills, man, the touch”, he said on TNT Sports.
Phil Foden has reached levels the Real Madrid midfielder is yet to
Perhaps last season was Valverde’s finest season in his senior career but his form tailed off after the 2022 World Cup.
Even then, Federico Valverde did not have a claim to be the best player in the world like Phil Foden does, which is a point Rio Ferdinand could have perhaps made.
To be named as a potential candidate for being the most in-form player before the New Year is impressive.
But as Foden is in those discussions with the season set to come to an end in another two months, it is a testament to just how influential of a campaign he is having.
For that reason, Rio Ferdinand is perhaps right to choose Phil Foden over Federico Valverde, who is also a world-class midfielder.