Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has the ability to become the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
The claim was made by Thomas Frank whose Brentford side take on the reigning champions in a Premier League match on Tuesday that was pushed back due to City's participation in the Fifa Club World Cup, which they won by defeating Brazilian side Fluminense 4-0 in the final.
Frank has also seen Foden's skills up close this month already when the England international scored a hat-trick in City's 3-1 win over the Bees at the Etihad Stadium on February 4.
Manager Pep Guardiola hailed Foden as “the most influential he has been” since breaking into the first team in 2017 and he already has 15 goals and 10 assists in all competitions this season. And Foden himself admitted he was playing more consistently than he had done “for a long time”.
Former England and Liverpool striker Owen was the last from his country to lift the coveted Ballon d'Or which is the annual award run by the magazine France Football and co-organised by Uefa given to the top player in Europe.
Each national team manager and captain gets to vote for their winner, with players needing to have been active at a European club to qualify.
England have not even had a player in the top three since 2005 when Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard finished second and third, respectively.
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane have made flying starts to the careers in Spain and Germany this season but Brentford coach Frank believes their England teammate at City has the potential to become Europe's best footballer.
“Phil Foden is a very good player,” said Frank, ahead of the match at the Gtech Community Stadium. “For me, he's the closest England get to a Ballon d'Or winner in the future. I think he has that potential, that level.
“He influences the game in so many ways. The last game he got on the end of three situations and scored three goals. He is very at good dribbling, very good at sliding people in.
“He works very hard. He seems to have a good mentality in terms of working hard. He is very good.”
Foden is on course to have his best campaign in a City shirt and his 15 goals in 35 games mean the 23-year-old only needs two more to beat his highest ever tally of 16 achieved in 50 matches three seasons ago.
And with City still going strong in three competitions – the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup – having already won the Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup, it has the makings of another special season for Foden – especially as England are one of the favourites to win this summer's Euro 2024 finals.
“He's an exceptional, exceptional player. He is [young] and already has more than 250 games for City, that shows the impact he has had since he arrived,” said Gaurdiola after Foden scored the treble against Brentford, the second of his career – the other coming in the 6-3 thrashing of Manchester United in 2022 that also saw Erling Haaland score three.
“I don't know his limit. He will decide. For him, football is the most important thing of his life. Of course aside from his family and kids, it is the most important thing.
“It depends on him, but he enjoys a lot. He loves to play football. When you see players like him playing in the street when you are a little boy, you have this sense of amateurism [in the way he plays].”
For his country, Foden has hit the heights of his club form and he has managed just four goals in his 31 caps for England since making his debut in 2020, with coach Gareth Southgate often favouring Bukayo Saka in his attacking line-up.
And Foden admitted after England's Euro qualifying win over Malta in November that he is looking to improve his Three Lions statistics.
“I always want more for myself, I think I can add goals to this team – and assists,” Foden said. “I’m enjoying my football a lot at the moment, I’m expressing myself, I’m playing really well. So yeah, I need to keep that up, keep pushing myself to score more and get assists.”
Southgate's side take on Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia in this summer's finals in Germany as England look to improve on their runner's up spot at Euro 2020 when they lost to Italy on penalties in the final.
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ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
Racecard
5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m
6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blow a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
Keir Starmer failed to give her his backing as she cried but later said she would be in the job for 'a long time to come'.
A spokesman said her upset was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Company%20profile
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Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
More on animal trafficking
The five pillars of Islam
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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UJDA CHAMAN
Produced: Panorama Studios International
Directed: Abhishek Pathak
Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Rating: 3.5 /5 stars
