Manchester City's top academy stars
Manchester City's academy has been in the spotlight lately, with players who are now stars in their own teams and leagues, not long ago playing in the English club's reserve team. Despite not being considered a historic club, since the arrival of the Sheikh, Manchester City has become a leading club in the world of football.
Many of these players are still young and have a bright future ahead of them. Some of them are already firmly established in their teams and national squads, while others have just arrived and are already making an impact. In this article, we'll talk about five of the best players who have come through the Manchester City academy.
Phil Foden (Manchester City)
The only player still with the sky blues. Foden, born in southeast Manchester, has been a supporter of the club since he was very young. He began his journey in the Manchester City academy at the age of six. In November 2017, he made his debut for the first team in a Champions League match against Feyenoord, becoming the youngest City player to debut in a European competition. A week later, he made his Premier League debut, and that same season, he won the league title, becoming the youngest player to do so.
Foden plays both as an attacking midfielder and as a winger under Pep Guardiola. He is currently a key player in the English team, with his creativity, excellent ball control and passing, and strong shooting making him a complete attacker for Manchester City. Foden is a player with a bright present and future at the club, and if he continues to improve, he will become a global star.
Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)
The reigning Bundesliga champion is one of Xabi Alonso's key players. The Dutch footballer joined the Manchester City academy at the age of nine, although he never made his debut for the first team. Frimpong went through all the youth categories of the club until he was 18, when he decided to move to Celtic Glasgow. He made his professional debut on September 2, 2019, in the Scottish League Cup. In his first year in Glasgow, he impressed the fans and was named the team's best young player.
In January 2021, he signed for Bayer Leverkusen, where he has since become a cornerstone of the team. With Xabi Alonso's arrival in the 2022/23 season, Frimpong has become the team's right-back, establishing himself as one of the best right-backs in the world. In the last two seasons in the Bundesliga, he has scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists, establishing himself as one of the league's best players.
Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
The shining star of Chelsea and the Premier League. Palmer, born in Manchester, joined the City academy at the U-8 level and rose through the ranks to become the captain of the club's U-18 team. He made his first-team debut on September 30, 2020, in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. But it wasn't until a year later that he scored his first official goal for the first team. He scored in all competitions he played in with the first team, although he didn't get as many minutes as he wanted.
In the summer of 2023, City decided to sell the player, who ended up joining Chelsea in search of more playing time. The attacking midfielder has been one of the sensations of the Premier League this season. He has scored a total of 20 goals and provided 9 assists in 29 matches, and when he doesn't play, Chelsea feels his absence.
Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid)
The new Moroccan star. The player from Dos Hermanas (Malaga) started playing football at the age of six for his hometown team. A year later, he joined Malaga CF, where he spent several years and attracted interest from the academies of the best teams in Spain. In 2013, Manchester City decided to sign him for their academy, and at just 14 years old, he joined the club's U-16 team. He made his debut for the first team on September 21, 2016, in the EFL Cup. That same season, he also made his debut in the league and the Champions League.
The young player received an offer from Real Madrid in 2019 and decided to move to the Spanish club. After a few years on loan at AC Milan, where Brahim stood out for his dribbling and quality, Real Madrid decided to keep the player permanently this season. After his good performances this season with Madrid and the previous one with Milan, both the Spanish and Moroccan national teams have shown interest in him. Brahim chose to represent the Moroccan national team in the coming years.
Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
The return of the English star to Dortmund. Sancho began his football journey at the age of seven with Watford. At the age of 14, Manchester City decided to sign him for their youth teams. They quickly realized his potential, with great performances for the academy and the youth teams of the national team. Although he never made his debut for the club's first team, the player decided to move to Dortmund.
In Dortmund, he established himself as one of the best young players in the world, scoring 51 goals and providing 64 assists in four seasons. After these great seasons, he decided to return to England, but this time to Manchester United. His time at United hasn't been as expected, and the player was loaned back to the German team this winter, where he is rediscovering his form and returning to his level.
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