“Bellingham is a phenomenon, yet for me Foden is England’s most naturally gifted footballer” - Carragher makes comparison with Real Madrid legend
Jamie Carragher has made an extraordinary claim, comparing Phil Foden with Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane. He believes that the Manchester City star's movement in tight spaces reminds him of the Frenchman and Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta.
In his Telegraph column, Carragher said that Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham is a phenomenon, but Foden is England's most naturally gifted star. He added that two are different profiles and shouldn't be compared.
"Bellingham is a phenomenon, yet for me Foden is England's most naturally gifted footballer. I know how that will be taken by those cherry-picking parts of this column.
"To suggest Foden is a 'better player' will be made to sound like a criticism of Bellingham. It is far from it. You can prefer John Lennon's songs to Paul McCartney's and still admire the genius of both."
He continued:
"Foden and Bellingham are different profiles of footballer, but there are aspects of the City player's game which set him apart from anything England has ever had.
"Bellingham follows the tradition of complete, multi-dimensional midfielders. Tactically, he is a dream player for Southgate going into this summer's tournament. He has excelled as a No. 10 for Real, looked sensational when playing as a No. 8 for Borussia Dortmund, and you could see him playing as a No. 6 later in his career."
Carragher added:
"With regards to Foden, I am not sure England have ever had a similar style of player of such a level. Foden has more in common with the typical Spanish or Portuguese players, his technique setting him apart.
"The highest praise I can offer is whenever I watch Foden and see that first touch, control and balletic movement in tight spaces, the first players who spring to mind are Zinedine Zidane and Andrés Iniesta."
Jude Bellingham started his Real Madrid career in sensational form and has helped them win the La Liga title. Meanwhile, Foden did the same for Manchester City this season in the Premier League.
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham makes 30-man England provisional squad
Jude Bellingham has made England's 30-man provisional squad for EURO 2024. The Real Madrid star is expected to make the flight to Germany, barring any late injury issues.
Foden has also made the list and has one game remaining this season with Manchester City, who take on Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday (May 25).
While the two stars have made it, Gareth Southgate has dropped Marcus Rashford from his squad following a poor season. The Manchester United star will not be heading to Germany and is reportedly facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford too.