Paul Gascoigne may be an England legend but even he could not resist the chance to get a signed shirt off a current Three Lions player.
Gazza is regarded as one of the most talented players England has ever produced, having been a mainstay in the team in the 1990s.
The attacking midfielder, who played for the likes of Newcastle United, Tottenham and Rangers, made 57 appearances for England and was an integral part of the Three Lions team at the 1990 World Cup and 1996 Euros.
Gascoigne was in attendance for one of England’s recent Nations League games and was blown away by Manchester City’s Phil Foden.
At the age of 24, Foden already has 43 caps for England and a remarkable six Premier League titles to his name.
He was awarded the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2024 but then went on to struggle at Euro 2024 despite Gareth Southgate taking the team to the final.
Foden has continued to underwhelm this season and is yet to score in the Premier League for a Manchester City team who have endured a dismal run of form under Pep Guardiola.
But in Foden Man City still possess ‘England’s best player’, according to Gazza, who rates the Etihad star above the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.
Asked who he believes is the best player in the current England team, Gascoigne told Metro courtesy of Card Player: ‘I really like Jack Grealish, because of the fact that if he lost the ball a couple of times, he still wants the ball. He doesn’t go hiding.
‘But I watched Phil Foden not long ago. He was s*** hot. He was unbelievable. What a player and that last England game, I couldn’t resist it.
‘I just went into the changing room and asked Foden to give us a shirt. He signed it for my agent’s son.
‘He’s been unbelievable at Man City and is one of the players they rely on to produce. Sometimes that’s not good for him, because he’s such a young kid as well. He’s only young and he’s got kids.
‘Looking at the England squad, you’ve got Bellingham, Grealish, Rashford. They’ve got a really strong squad.
‘But Foden, they always say people with left foot in football are always going to be brilliant. But I really like Foden, he’s quality and he’s got a good engine on him.’
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney also named Foden as England’s best when he was quizzed on the current squad back in October.
Asked who he ranks as the best player out of England’s current crop of stars, Rooney told talkSPORT: ‘Phil Foden, for me.
‘I know he hasn’t played that much this season for Man City but Phil Foden at his best is the best player England have got.
‘Cole Palmer has been sensational since going to Chelsea and you see everything Jude Bellingham is doing at Real Madrid. But for me Phil Foden is the one, I really enjoy watching him.’
While Foden is undoubtedly one of England’s most talented stars, a number of players could claim to be better on current form, including Chelsea sensation Cole Palmer.
Last month, ex-Three Lions player and manager Glenn Hoddle claimed Palmer was capable of ‘going ahead’ of prolific title winner Foden.
Asked which player England should look to build around going into the 2026 World Cup, Hoddle told Stick to Football with Sky Bet: ‘I’ve always rated Phil Foden as a top player.
‘He hasn’t played so well in the Euros and hasn’t done what I thought he would do. I think Foden is a special talent but its whether he can reproduce what he’s doing at City in an England shirt.
‘Cole Palmer looks unbelievable. He’s an interesting one because if he stays unattached to the game, because for me he’s a player that plays in the playground, he could elevate himself to being a superstar and could go ahead of Foden in many ways.
‘The question mark is if he can continue to do that over the coming seasons because we all know what’s coming for him, the journey he’ll be taking with the ups and downs, injuries he might get, dip in form – there is a multitude of things he has to come through to be the superstar I think he is.’
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