The Manchester City star will take to the pitch on Saturday against Palermo in a friendly match: “It’s nice to play with different teams. Guardiola is the best. On the pitch, I’m myself.” And on Italian football: “I always watched Dybala at Juve.”

Someone who lives for soccer like he does has a burning desire to play. Even a friendly like the one Manchester City will play on Saturday in Palermo, the only one before returning to the Premier League. “I can’t wait,” says Phil Foden, who at 25 is one of the stars of Guardiola’s team. The fans remind him of this with the warm applause they give him at the open training session that marks the official restart towards 2025-26. He tries to remember this every time he takes to the field, even if he didn’t manage to do so much last season after a year as the Premier League’s best player. He will try to do so again on Saturday in Palermo.

Phil, are you happy to be back?

“Yes. It will be a high-quality game in Palermo. We need to get back to our best by playing against a good opponent to be ready for the season. I’m happy: I like playing against different teams that I’ve never faced before.”

How important is it that this will be your only friendly?

“We’ll have to take what we need from the Palermo game: physical fitness, match rhythm. We have to take it seriously, we have to come out of it at a good level. I can’t wait.”

What is your relationship with Italian football?

“I really liked Dybala when he played for Juventus: he’s a player with a lot of quality, I watched him a lot. I’ve watched Italian football a bit, but not enough to have a favorite team.”

One of your best moments with City, winning the Champions League, is linked to an Italian team, Inter.

“My memory of that game is the moment when Rodri scored, the exact moment when the ball went into the net: it’s definitely my best moment ever in a Manchester City shirt.”

Kevin De Bruyne, who is a legend at City, was one of the most important signings for Serie A: what should Italian fans expect from him?

“A world-class player who can do incredible things on the pitch, as we’ve seen here at City: he’s won us so many Premier League titles with his fantastic assists. Kevin can do a bit of everything. He’s a good guy on and off the pitch, a leader in the way he plays: he’s not one to raise his voice, but when you’re behind, he puts the team on his shoulders and gets them back into the game. I think Italian fans will have a lot of fun with him.”

What are your expectations for next season, on a personal level?

“I just want to be myself, let things come naturally on the pitch and play with a smile on my face.”

You didn’t manage that last season.

“A lot of things didn’t work out, not because of any one individual. As a team, we have to accept that we didn’t achieve what we expected, that we didn’t perform at our best: it affected all of us. But it’s one of those things we have to put behind us and look to the future, to the new season and how to get off to the best possible start.”

Where do you think you are at the moment?

“It’s difficult to say right now: I played well in the Club World Cup, but I need games to show what I’m capable of.” 

What are your expectations for City this season?

“The highest. We’ve added some top players and we’ll need them. We now have a deep squad, which we’ll need in a long season full of games, where it’s normal to have a few injuries: having a deep squad with lots of quality players can only help us and bring us closer to winning trophies.”

Among the new arrivals is Tijjani Reijnders, signed from Milan: what’s your first impression?

“He impressed me from the first moment I saw him in training. He’s a dynamic player, he covers the whole pitch, he can do everything and he showed at the World Cup how well he can pass the ball, providing lots of assists. He’s really made a great impression on me.”

You’re 25, but this is your ninth season in the first team: do you feel like a veteran?

“No, I wouldn’t say so. There are still players who have much more experience than me, starting with Bernardo and Gundogan. I feel normal, one of the team.“

Many consider you a superstar.

”I don’t think about that. I think about being the person I want to be, playing at the highest level I can reach. And I’m happy when people appreciate that.“

What is your relationship with Pep Guardiola?

”Good, it always has been. He brought me into the first team when I was 16, he gave me my debut, and I’ll always be grateful to him for that.“

What makes him the best coach in the world?

”His attention to detail, seeing things that we don’t see, that other coaches don’t see. He has a hunger inside him to be at his best every day. And he pushes us to do the same.”

Who is Phil Foden off the pitch?

“I like to try to be funny and relaxed. I’m a family man who likes fishing, a simple person who lives for soccer.”

Is there anything you’ve learned from fishing that you use in soccer?

“Knowing how to relax. Before games, a lot of my teammates like to get pumped up, but I prefer to be calm and relaxed. I definitely learned that from fishing.“

How would you describe your dream season?

”With my team winning a trophy. Or two. Or three. Or four. Winning something must always be the goal: sharing that feeling with your teammates is the best feeling you can experience.“

And on a personal level, what would a dream season be like?

”Always playing with a smile on my face.”