After England defeated the Netherlands 2-1 to reach the final of Euro 2024, Phil Foden was a visibly happy man.
Foden was spotted celebrating with his English teammates as his country had booked a date with destiny on Sunday against an in-form Spain team.
The £225,000-a-week man’s performance against Ronald Koeman’s side also earned rave reviews.
Gareth Southgate felt Foden had his best-ever game in a Three Lions shirt against the Netherlands.
Rio Ferdinand also stated that in the first-half, the Manchester City midfielder was “unreal.”
Phil Foden says he had his best-ever game for England against Netherlands
Jamie Carragher also praised Foden, as he felt him and Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo looked in brilliant touch for the English.
The 24-year-old finally showcased to the world that at a major tournament, he is well-capable of performing at a high standard for his country.
Especially considering it was a semi-final, it felt like it was high-time the silky technician stepped up or risk the wrath of the English public as he has had an underwhelming tournament.
But Foden rose to the occassion and after England beat the Netherlands, he was satisfied with his showing.
The Stockport-born midfielder said via BeanymanSports: “Yeah, I was a little bit unlucky tonight, I would say. Obviously had a few close chances but yeah obviously, the main thing is the team winning and yeah, I feel like tonight was probably my best game in an England shirt so yeah, I’m delighted.”
“Feel like the last two games have been improvements, I feel like the position’s helping me as well, to get on the ball and get in dangerous areas so like I said, I was enjoying it out there tonight, I was picking up spaces and looked more like myself, like I do for City you know, find it at the edge of the box and get shots away.”
“Yeah, I was just enjoying my football.”
Phil Foden could become a national hero with Euro 2024 final masterclass
As Ollie Watkins displayed by coming off the bench and scoring a heroic winner against the Dutch, Gareth Southgate has plenty of match-winners at his disposal.
While Spain are a much superior team to England, Foden has the chance to become a national hero if he delivers a performance for the ages in the European Championship final.
Whether that is by running the show or by scoring or assisting an important goal, the Englishman can produce moments of magic; a key trait in finals.
Foden will likely be embracing the pressure that comes with the game and if he can save his best performance for last, he will instantly become a legend of English football.
The same applies to the likes of Kyle Walker and John Stones, who could also do the same with potentially masterful showings at Berlin’s Olympiastadion.