Phil Foden has said that one former Manchester City player has a better first touch than him.
The midfielder is approaching the end of what has been a tremendous individual season, which has seen Foden score 25 goals and deliver 11 assists in 51 games across all competitions.
Having been a part of Pep Guardiola’s senior City squad since 2017, the 23-year-old has played alongside and trained with numerous top-level players in the process.
Now though, the Englishman has highlighted one former City star as having a better first touch than himself.
Foden says Riyad Mahrez has the best he’s ever seen
In a recent short shared on the Five YouTube channel, Foden was asked who has the best first touch out of him, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez.
He said: “I would say Riyad first, Bernardo, then me. Riyad had the best first touch I’ve ever seen. Never missed one touch.”
Back in the 2018 summer transfer window, City paid £60m to sign Mahrez from Leicester City.
During his five-year spell at the Manchester club, the winger made 236 appearances in all competitions.
Across those games, the Algerian scored 78 goals, supplied 56 assists and won numerous trophies including four Premier League titles.
Mahrez’s ability to control the ball is extraordinary
In terms of his first touch, the 33-year-old had a reputation for having a sumptuous first touch and the ability to control the ball with effortless ease.
This isn’t the first time the former City star has been praised for his touch, as Gary Lineker likened Mahrez’s control of the ball to Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi back in March.
While Foden has miscontrolled the ball on more occasions (62) in the Premier League this season than any other City player, it’s fair enough of him to say that Silva and Mahrez have a better first touch than him.