Rio Ferdinand has said that one Manchester City player has been a standout figure in the Champions League this season.
After winning the competition for the first time in their history last season, the Blues were knocked out in the quarter-final stage by Real Madrid this time around.
In the first game between the two sides, City walked away with a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu having been ahead twice.
Then in the second leg, the Citizens lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw in extra time to bring an end to their chances of regaining their European title.
Ahead of tomorrow’s final at Wembley Stadium between Real and Borussia Dortmund, one pundit has shared his thoughts on who some of the standout players have been in this season’s tournament, with one City star getting a special mention.
Ferdinand says Phil Foden has been unbelievable in the Champions League this season
In a recent video shared on the TNT Sports official TikTok channel, Ferdinand was tasked with making an XI of his standout players from this season’s Champions League campaign.
After picking Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior as his pick for the left-wing position, Ferdinand had this to say about his choice for the opposite wing.
He said: “Phil Foden for Man City I think has been exceptional. What a wonderful football player, I’m going to go for him.
“Goals and assists galore, but also impacting the games in different ways as well.”
Foden has shone in the Champions League
Across the eight Champions League games Foden appeared in this season, he scored five goals and provided four assists, which is more goal contributions than any other City player made throughout their period in the competition.
He also made more goal-creating actions (10) and passes into the penalty area (23) than any other City player.
His overall performances have earned the Englishman a performance rating of 7.7/10 from WhoScored, making him the third-highest-rated player in the competition behind Vinicius (7.74/10) and Antoine Griezmann (7.73/10).
Taking all of that on board, it’s understandable why Ferdinand has included the City star in his best XI of players based on their performances in the Champions League this season.