Rayan Cherki announced himself in a Manchester City shirt by scoring his first goal in their 6-0 rout of Al Ain as Pep Guardiola’s men qualified for the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Frenchman rifled in the ball from the edge of the box into the bottom corner but in the lead up to his strike, the 21-year-old initially dummied the ball before Erling Haaland set his teammate up.
But aside from his landmark goal, Rayan Cherki’s cameo was terrific as he created chances aplenty, combined excellently with his teammates and was a livewire during his time on the pitch.
Pep Guardiola raved about Rayan Ait-Nouri’s display against the Emirati side but the Algerian will regret not scoring a gilt-edged chance set up by the former Lyon midfielder as he chose to cross the ball.
Similarly, Phil Foden could have scored in back-to-back games if he took his chance from close quarters after the City new-boy clipped the ball into Haaland’s path, who tried setting up the Englishman.
Pep Guardiola hails Rayan Cherki after Man City vs Al Ain
Cherki seemed to frustrate Pep Guardiola against Wydad by losing the ball after trying a few tricks and flicks in what was a difficult debut for the player.
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However, against Al Ain, the French international looked like the real deal, playing in a much more withdrawn role after often playing as a false nine last week, as he also beat his man before finding Rodri who then set up Oscar Bobb’s goal.
Manchester City FC v Al Ain FC: Group G - FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
After Manchester City’s win against Al Ain, Pep Guardiola told DAZN Football that he always says to himself how brilliant a player £33 million man Cherki is: “We know Rayan Cherki’s potential. I see a lot of things in training and I say to myself: ‘What a player.’
However, Guardiola is aware that just like all of City’s new signings, Cherki needs time to settle: “But as a new player, like Tijjani Reijnders, Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Ait-Nouri, they need a little time to get to know us, to know what we want.”
Rayan Cherki stats for Man City vs Al Ain in Club World Cup clash
Pep Guardiola has backed Cherki to perform and it seems like the Manchester City boss’ belief in him gave the player the confidence to go out and express himself against Al Ain.
RAYAN CHERKI STATS VS AL AIN
GOALS 1
SUCCESSFUL DRIBBLES 2/2
PASSES INTO THE FINAL THIRD 3
TOUCHES IN THE OPPOSITION BOX 3
TACKLES WON 1/1
The stats indicate just how impactful the youngster was at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Cherki was a class apart, scoring a goal, completing both his attempted dribbles, playing three passes into the final third, three touches in the opposition box and winning one contested tackle.