Phil Foden has been nicknamed ‘Fodenballs’ by pals – in a nod to fellow Manchester mega-star David Beckham as he follows in his footsteps both on and off the pitch.
The Man City attacking midfielder, 23 – who has previously been dubbed the ‘Stockport Iniesta’ – is the youngest player to win the League six times and is a doting dad to two young children from his relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Rebecca Cooke.
On Tuesday the young star was named in Gareth Southgate’s provisional England squad, and today he will face off against Manchester United as he vies to bag another trophy in the final of the FA cup.
And as his business success also sees him score millions of pounds off the pitch, friends have been prompted to compare him to the former England captain.
But, having grown up as part of a working-class family in Stockport, he has refused to let his new-found wealth get the better of him.
‘Phil’s a legend to City fans on the pitch, and a legend to his family and friends off it thanks to his down-to-earth nature,’ a source told The Sun.
Phil Foden of Manchester City (L) celebrates the UEFA Champions league title with Rebecca Cooke (R) after winning FC Internazionale during the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 final
Phil Foden celebrates with his girlfriend Rebecca Cooke and family and the trophy after winning the Premier League
Foden’s girlfriend Rebecca has been credited with helping to successfully maintain his career that once threatened to go off the rails
‘He can afford the finest things in the world, but loves nothing more than going back to where he grew up, getting a hair cut, seeing his mates and having a kickabout with some of the kids that idolise him.’
His latest accounts show Foden earning an equivalent of £400,000 a month – as his wealth has increased by almost £10million in one year.
PWF Management Ltd, which is responsible for his image rights and sponsorship deals, has seen a jump of £4.8million in the last year.
Listing his parents as the directors on Companies House, his father – Phil Senior – is described as a ‘Football Agent’, while his mother, Claire Rowlands, is listed as a Company Director.
He has also seen £4.4million in a PR and communications company called Rondog Sports, while he is also a director for PF Property Holdings. Listing Foden and his girlfriend as directors, the latter was first set up in 2022 and is yet to release any accounts.
The star is raking in cash on top of his £200,000 earnings from his deals with Nike, Hugo Boss and the jewellery firm Cernucci.
But the route to glory and acclaim hasn’t always been an easy one for the midfielder, who was raised on a Stockport council estate.
After making his senior international debut against Iceland in Reykjavik in September 2020, Foden and team-mate Mason Greenwood invited a beauty queen and her cousin back to their hotel – in breach of strict Covid quarantine rules.
Both were fined £1,400 by local police and kicked out of Gareth Southgate‘s squad, with Foden issuing a grovelling apology.
Manchester City player Phil Foden (left) – or ‘Ronnie’ as he is universally known to family and friends – lives in a £2.85million mansion with his partner Rebecca Cooke, 21 (right), along with his son and daughter
Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City and Phil Foden celebrate after clinching another Premier League title
Ronnie was spotted earlier walking out of the tunnel with dad Phil at the start of the match against West Ham last week
The following year he and Jack Grealish were dropped to the bench by City manager Pep Guardiola as a warning over their off-pitch behaviour following a mid-week night out.
But after being hailed as the ‘best player in the world’ by his Manchester City manager, Foden has successfully maintained a career that once threatened to go off the rails – thanks to the support and guidance of Rebecca and his close relationship with his parents.
His father Phil snr, who ironically is a Manchester United fan, manages his son’s career, while his mother Claire, also 43, is credited with keeping the young superstar’s feet on the ground.
A source close to the star told MailOnline: ‘Phil is very close to his family, particularly his parents. They, along with Rebecca, have been a constant source of support for Ronnie when he has felt the pressure and when things have got tough.’
Last year Claire, who was famously arrested for flicking a man’s cap off his head in a Wales nightclub and then telling police ‘I’m like an animal when I’ve been drinking’, described how he was ‘the cheapest kid ever’, saying Foden’s childhood was: ‘No games, no toys, nothing, just a football.’
Foden’s growing wealth has transformed the fortunes of his entire family, including buying a £3million, six-bed gated house in an upmarket Cheshire village.
It stands just down the road from the £2.85million mansion he shares with partner Rebecca Cooke, 23, and their two children, son Ronnie, five, and daughter True.
Another to benefit is his paternal grandmother, Mary, 63, for whom Foden bought a £200,000 bay-fronted house just up the road from where he grew up.
Foden is close to his parents Claire and Phil Snr – pictured together when he signed for Manchester City. Phil snr manages his son’s career, while his mum keeps him grounded
Foden grew up in a modest end-terrace house squeezed beside a parade of nondescript takeaways and beauty salons in Stockport
Scouted by Man City as a youngster, Foden worked his way through their academy and made his debut in 2017, aged 17
His growing wealth has transformed the fortunes of his entire family, including buying a £3million, six-bed gated house in an upmarket Cheshire village
It was the death of her late former partner, Foden’s grandfather Walter, at the age of 47 which famously inspired his Manchester City squad number.
Foden has spoken of feeling the ‘pressure’ to use his earnings to repay his parents for their support.
In an interview with Esquire magazine, he encapsulated the reasons for his success on and off the pitch, saying: ‘I wanted to be able to look after my family. ‘But my job was just to keep focused on the game. My aim was to just enjoy myself.’
Despite his soaring value – a string of fashion endorsements have earnt him £1.4million in a year, on top of his £200,000-a-week wages – the star remains a familiar sight on the Stockport streets where he grew up.
Remarkably, his trademark ‘skin fade’ haircut is the handiwork of a barbers shop around the corner from his end-terrace childhood home the where he has been going for a trim since the age of eight.
Earlier this year the father-of-two left TV pundits in stitches by revealing how he pays just £20 for a trim – cheekily goading Micah Richards who has admitted paying ten times that amount when he needs to ‘sharpen up’.
Down the road is the Indian takeaway where Foden drops in to pick up his favourite £10 Balti dish to take round to visit friends.
And a few doors away is the bustling fish and chip shop where staff still recall him as a football-mad toddler.
‘At the end of the day, he’s a council estate lad,’ one friend who has known him since he was a teenager said.
‘Staying so close to his Stockport roots and getting the support of his family have been so important in keeping him grounded.’
A clip of Foden revealing the modest bill for his trademark hairstyle went viral earlier this year as he left TNT pundits in stitches after scoring in a 3-1 Champions’ League win over FC Copenhagen.
‘Before you go, who is your barber because your trim is looking quite fresh, I’m not gonna lie,’ Foden was asked by former Man City defender Richards.
‘I’ve heard you pay a lot for your trim,’ Foden responded, leaving Richards and fellow pundits Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry creasing up.
The highly-rated English youngster poses for a photo with a carp
Pressed by presenter Kate Abdo how much he splashes out, the England international answered: ‘£20 from the local. I swear.
‘I sort him out sometimes but I’ve been to the same barber since the age of eight.’
In fact MailOnline can reveal that the ‘trim’ which an envious Richards admitted was ‘quite fresh’ is the handiwork of a stylist at Scissor Trim in Edgeley, Stockport – and Foden has indeed been having his hair cut there since he was a pupil at nearby Bridgehall Primary School.
Indeed the barber’s Instagram page also shows how Foden brings in his son – named Ronnie after his dad’s nickname, and a fully-fledged social media sensation with 4million followers of his own – to have his hair smartened up.
‘Whenever he comes here, there’s always people waiting outside the shop to catch sight of him,’ said Kurdish owner Pasha Fade, 29, standing proudly next to a signed Manchester City shirt hanging on the wall.
‘He always has the same medium skin fade, the only difference is whether he wants one line shaved in it or two.’
Scissor Trim stands on Castle Street, where most businesses are on first-name terms with ‘Ronnie’ – as Foden is universally known to family and friends to distinguish him from his father, Phil Sr.
‘I think he appreciates how coming back to Edgeley gives him a bit of normality in his life,’ said Alal Miah, 51, manager of the Bombay Castle, where Foden is a regular customer.
A photograph of Foden being served three bags of takeaway food is proudly shared on the restaurant’s Facebook page – along with a comment about how ‘nice and down to earth’ he is.
Photographers caught the moment little Ronnie Foden, 5, tried to open a champagne bottle as his father, Phil, celebrated with Manchester City teammates following their historic win last week
Staying put: Despite his best effort, little Ronnie was thankfully unable to pull the cork from the bottle, though he is 13 years shy of the legal drinking age
Head and shoulders above: Ronnie is a social media sensation with four million followers and a millionaire in his own right – despite being only five
For added local connections, he is sporting a baseball cap bearing the logo of Stockport fashion retailer Fresh Clothing, whose shop is just over the road.
Next door fish and chip shop The Friary is also a regular stop-off whenever Foden is in Edgeley.
Foden – nicknamed ‘the Stockport Iniesta’ after the Spain and Barcelona legend – has spoken of his bond with his home town, which today boasts a mural painted in his honour.
‘I’ve still got family around Stockport, so I go and visit sometimes, and kids are just starstruck to see me,’ he said.
‘It’s quite strange because I was one of those kids and was just the same as them.
‘They look up to you, so it’s just to give something back, because I used to play there growing up. It’s good to play with them and see a smile on their face.
‘I just want to be a good role model for them.’
He later told Esquire magazine that part of his single-minded dedication to ensuring his talent did not go to waste was to be able to ‘look after my family’.
‘But my job was just to keep focused on the game,’ he added.
‘My aim was to just enjoy myself.’
Phil Foden’s first-half brace made for a relatively stress free afternoon at the Etihad last week
City have become the first team in English top-flight history to win four titles in succession
Pep Guardiola believes that his side’s achievements mean they should be considered the greatest English club side of all time
Man City are set for an open top bus parade on Sunday after winning the Premier League again
Foden’s potential was first spotted aged just six by Manchester City’s head of academy recruitment during a coaching session his primary school.
Aged ten, Foden, his parents, Phil Sr and Claire, and older brother Callum left their rented end-terrace house in Edgeley for a more upmarket area of town after he entered the academy system at Manchester City.
She has described how he was ‘the cheapest kid ever’, telling the Daily Telegraph his childhood was: ‘No games, no toys, nothing, just a football.’
‘He’s never Phil Foden to us, he’s always ‘Ronnie’,’ said Colette Haworth, landlady of the Royal Oak pub.
‘You’ll often see him pushing a pram along the precinct, or carrying a takeaway and a bottle of wine.
‘People around here are very proud of how he’s stayed so close to his roots.’
Erling Haaland posed for pictured on a night out last week after City’s title triumph
Erling Haaland’s girlfriend Isabel Haugsend threw herself into the dancing on the night out
Jack Grealish was also in the party mood, and he will get another chance to celebrate during City’s open top bus parade
Manchester City’s players partied hard in the dressing room after beating West Ham 3-1
Erling Haaland and Grealish struck a pose as they showed off their expensive watches and the latter’s medal
Grealish had plenty of affection for his younger sister, Hollie Grealish, and also spent time with friends
Kyle Walker (left) posed with kit assistant Adam Smith (holding trophy) and others
Local shopkeeper Harish Panchani added: ‘He still comes into the shop with his girlfriend, he’s really down-to-earth – he takes his kids to the park over the road, and goes fishing in the local lake.
‘How many top footballers can you say that about?’
Mr Panchani added: ‘The whole family are just decent people, and I’m sure the way he’s still so rooted in the community is a big part of how he’s handled becoming so famous.’
Now England fans will hope the support will help Foden fire England to glory in this summer’s Euros.
