'Man City Star Phil Foden Is In The Same Category As Barcelona Captain Lionel Messi'

Manchester City star Phil Foden has been hailed as "unbelievable" and placed in the "same category as Lionel Messi."

That's according to Dutch legend Ruud Gullit, who believes the 20-year-old midfielder should be the frontrunner for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.

Foden has established himself as a crucial player in Pep Guardiola's starting XI this season as he has made 48 appearances across all competitions this season.

And the Stockport-born star has scored an impressive 15 times and registered 10 assists in City's remarkable season.

Foden has added to his silverware cabinet this season with City already capturing the League Cup trophy and Premier League title.

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PA

The England international could even add a Champions League winners' medal to his achievements should City beat Chelsea in the final on 29th May in Portugal.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Gullit insisted that Foden is "not exactly like Messi as a player."

However, the 58-year-old Dutchman believes that Foden is the same as Messi when it comes to "his stature, his height, his quickness."

Gullit explained: "In the past only the big, strong, quick players were the ones always selected by the English teams but now I think smaller, agile and more technical players are trusted more.

"City have given Foden his chance and he has shown he is unbelievable, that he is in the same category as Lionel Messi.

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"He is not exactly like Messi as a player -- no-one is -- but with his stature, his height, his quickness -- he is the same. He is a wonderful player and I've loved watching him."

Foden came through the City youth academy and was handed his senior debut under Guardiola.

Guardiola has previously branded the City midfielder as the "most talented player I have ever seen" ahead of Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

Topics: Manchester City, Phil Foden, Football, Lionel Messi, Premier League, England

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9