Man City star Phil Foden talks about the “buzz” surrounding his favourite activity as he discloses his unconventional retirement plans.

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00:46 BST 30 Sep 2024, updated 01:09 BST 30 Sep 2024By Sam Lawley

• The England international has netted 108 times in 317 matches for his club
• But at just 24 years of age, Foden is already thinking about his next career
• LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday 

Phil Foden has revealed what he plans to do when he retires and it is certainly a path few ex-footballers take.

The Manchester City star has netted 108 times for his club in a glittering career spanning 317 matches.

The midfielder has won almost everything there is to win – in the English game at least – reeling in six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a Champions League, and at 24 years of age he has no plans of calling it a day just yet.

But when he does, it’s not the typical routes of punditry, coaching or Strictly Come Dancing that the skilful England international will be angling for.

Instead, Foden cannot wait to divert his full attention to his favourite pastime – fishing. In an interview with the YouTube channel of fishing tackle brand Korda, the Man City man explained the ‘buzz’ he gets from the hobby.

He said: ‘This is me when I retire. A vlog for fishing.

‘When I was around five, my old man would always take me and I have loved it ever since.

‘I was just catching whatever really, the smaller fish, then the more times I did it I got into catching the bigger fish, the carp.

‘I go to my local places and catch whatever. It’s the buzz — whatever fishing I am doing I enjoy.’

Foden added that he had been able to cast his hook during the Euros this summer while his team-mates hit the golf course.

‘At the Euros training camp we had lakes on the golf course,’ he said.

‘I would get the rod out and catch a few carp.’

While angling with host Neil Spooner, the footballer caught a carp weighing an impressive 28lb, slightly short of his record 39lb fish.

Foden is being eased back from a spell on the sidelines through a mystery illness at the start of this campaign and manager Pep Guardiola stressed how ‘important’ the midfielder is to his side.

‘The thing is he is playing, but Phil doesn’t need time,’ he said. ‘When he’s clever and fine, it’s not a problem.

‘I know how important Phil is for us, so there’s no doubt about that.’