I don't want to oversell this. There is no deep and meaningful theme to this article. It does not have hidden layers or wider significances. It contains no political, social or cultural context. It rests almost entirely on a single argument, and the argument is that Phil Foden is sensational.
If you are not on board with the idea that Foden is sensational, the next 840 words will almost certainly not be for you.
If you are on board with the idea that Foden is sensational, on the other hand, then you may wonder what more can possibly be said on the subject. And yet by the same token something here felt seminal and startling. For all Foden's habit of being sensational in big Premier League and Champions League games, this was the first time he was sensational on the very biggest stage of all, a World Cup knockout game with over 100,000 in the stadium and almost 15 billion watching on television (official Fifa figures).
Such is England's extreme competence these days that there is a danger that nights like this, games like these, performances like these, somehow become normalised. This equalled England's record win in a World Cup knockout game, and people were still moaning through most of the first half.
England have slid into the quarter-finals of the World Cup almost frictionlessly, with barely a headache or a hitch. No, this is not normal.
A similar process seems to have occurred with Foden, partly because it feels like we have been training our gaze on him ever since he was a child.
This story is from the December 05, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the December 05, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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