The Champions League final beckons, and with the game set for another all-English final, fans across the country are excited to see the young talent on display.
Chelsea and Manchester City have stormed their way to the Estadio do Dragao after months of enthralling and exhilarating football across the continent.
Despite the excitement of the two English clubs facing up, there is a battle going on between two players going on that every fan nor the players themselves probably even realise.
England have been lucky over the years to have a wealth of talent across different areas of the pitch – the likes of Steven Gerrard vs Frank Lampard, John Terry vs Rio Ferdinand, and even Wayne Rooney vs Michael Owen throughout the early noughties.
The most recent of these is growing in the form of Phil Foden vs Mason Mount.
Both youngsters represent the current crop of England youngsters making a name for themselves, and the pair are set to face in Saturday’s final. Going head-to-head in a pair of Nike Phantom’s, both players will be looking to write themselves into Champions League Final history.
Bragging rights are up for grabs, especially with the pair also being named in the provisional England Euro 2020 squad and are favourites to be on the plane when Southgate names his final squad.
This season has seen great campaigns for both players in the Premier League and Champion League, but which of the two come out on top?
Phil Foden
The 20-year-old has been an important component for Pep Guardiola this season, filling the void of club legend David Silva.
Foden featured in all 38 of Manchester City’s Premier League winning games this season, with 11 of those coming from the bench. During that time, he managed 9 goals and 5 assists whilst operating in a number of positions across the front line and midfield.
Those are some impressive numbers at just 20-years-old, with his ability to play in different positions out wide and centrally a massive bonus for Guardiola.
Mason Mount
Despite having to play under two different managers this season, Mount has been consistent throughout.
36 Premier League appearances led to 6 goals and 5 assists for the 22-year-old but his game doesn’t just end there.
Unlike Foden, Mount often delivers plenty of output with his defensive contributions in central midfield, too.
Mount trumps the young City attacker in both tackles and interceptions, averaging 2.1 and 0.9 respectively. This differs greatly to Foden’s 0.8 and 0.4.
Of course, the pair operate slightly differently for both of their respective clubs, and will we see this on display on Saturday. One thing for sure is that both players are set to light up the biggest stage, and England fans should be excited for what they may see at the Euros…
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