Thomas Frank, the manager of Brentford, has expressed his support for Phil Foden as a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or, highlighting the England international’s potential for the prestigious award.
Phil Foden, who is just 23 years old, showcased his exceptional talent by scoring three goals in Manchester City’s recent 3-1 victory against Brentford. With an upcoming match at the Etihad Stadium, Frank is cautious about Foden’s ability to replicate his stunning performance.
Remarkably, Brentford holds the distinction of being the last team to defeat Manchester City at their home ground, the Etihad, thanks to Ivan Toney’s decisive goal in a 2-1 victory back in November 2022.
In their recent encounter at the Gtech Stadium, Brentford initially took the lead against Guardiola’s team, only for Foden to dominate the game with his hat-trick, highlighting his critical role in City’s lineup.
Foden’s impressive tally of 15 goals in 35 matches across all competitions this season places him just one goal shy of his personal best scoring record for City, underscoring his consistent contribution to the team.
Thomas Frank says Foden can win Ballon d’Or
“He’s a very good player”, said Frank, whose team have lost eight of their last 10 in the league and are 14th, six points above the bottom three.
“For me, he’s the closest England get to potentially having a Ballon d’Or winner in the future. I think he’s got that potential, that level.”
“I think he influences the game in so many ways. Last game he got on the end of three situations, scored three goals. He’s very good dribbling, he’s very good sliding people in, works very hard.”
“He seems to have a good mentality. I don’t know him personally, but he looks form the outside to have a very good mentality in terms of working hard”
“He is very good, but there are so many good players; (Kevin) De Bruyne, (Erling) Haaland, Rodri, (Jeremy) Doku, (Julian) Alvarez. The whole team.”
Frank acknowledged the need for Brentford to deliver an exceptional performance to replicate their previous victories over City, despite concerns about the team’s defensive vulnerabilities this season.
“In general we’re good defensively, don’t give much away,” he said. “But this season we’ve been giving more away than usual. That’s something we’re trying to adjust.”
The February 5th clash was overshadowed by a heated exchange between Neal Maupay of Brentford and City’s Kyle Walker, stemming from personal comments made by Maupay.
Despite the controversy, Maupay defended his conduct in a recent interview with The Times, with Frank supporting his player, who has been in fine form with five goals in his last seven matches.
“All players are different, what gets them to tick, what they think is important for them to perform”, he said. “That I always respect.”
“In terms of winding players up, it’s part of the game. It’s a fine line not to cross. If he does that or not, I don’t know. As far as I know Neal is a good guy, a good teammate and he’s very good for us.”
