Former Manchester City Director of Football Txiki Begiristain has revealed that a current member of Pep Guardiola’s squad reminded him of Andres Iniesta when he first saw him play.
Being compared to the Barcelona legend is a huge honour for any player, given everything the Spaniard achieved in his career, from scoring the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final to winning the Champions League on four separate occasions.
Paul Scholes believes David Silva was a better player than Iniesta, but the former Man United star is in the minority with that opinion, as the Barcelona legend is considered one of the greatest players of all time.
Begiristain has admitted that a current Man City star reminded him of Iniesta when he first saw the player in action, with the Spaniard also labelling him as “one of the best players in the world.”
Txiki Begiristain, Director of Football at Manchester City speaks to the media during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Group Stage Draw at Grimaldi Forum on August 29, 2024
Photo by Valerio Pennicino – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Phil Foden reminded Txiki Begiristain of Andres Iniesta
After 13 years, Begiristain recently left his role as Man City’s Director of Football and has been replaced by Hugo Viana.
The Spaniard returned to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to watch Man City beat Man United 3-0, and while in Manchester, the 61-year-old admitted that Phil Foden reminded him of Iniesta when he first watched him play.
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When asked about the first time he saw Foden in action, Begiristain told Man City: “Platt Lane! Mark Adams was then the academy director, I said, ‘You have to come here, there is a boy’.
“Coming from Barcelona, I always remember the ones like Iniesta and these ones, it’s amazing the way that they play, they see, you know, head up, and the hunger to do well, to score goals. Now, he’s one of the best players in the world.”
"He's one of the best players in the world." 💫🩵
Txiki looks back to when he first watched @PhilFoden, on Matchday Live ⏪👇
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 15, 2025
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Foden impressed in Man City’s win over Man United on Sunday, with the midfielder scoring the opening goal of the contest, as the Englishman looked like his old self.
Pep Guardiola will be hoping Foden is back to his best after a tough campaign last time around, and if the 25-year-old is, like Begiristain said, Man City will have one of the best players in the world lining up for them every week.
How Phil Foden compares to Andres Iniesta
Iniesta’s style of play was characterised by his passing ability, incredible dribbling, close control, and the football IQ he possessed, all of which can be found in Foden’s game.
However, there is a long way to go before the Man City star can be talked about in the same sentence as the Barcelona legend, as the midfielder produced incredible campaigns year after year, which is something the Englishman has yet to do.
Player Games Goals Assists Minutes
Andres Iniesta (2011/12) 46 8 12 3190
Phil Foden (2023/24) 53 27 13 4276
Many consider the 2011/12 campaign to be Iniesta’s best, as the Spaniard was named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, after helping Barcelona to plenty of success.
Although Foden’s best season in 2023/24 was better than this from a numbers point of view, the impact Iniesta had cannot be quantified with just stats.
Begiristain may be right about Foden having the same ability as the likes of Iniesta; however, it is now time for the Man City star to show it more consistently.