Revealed: Phil Foden's secret heartache behind his low-key celebration and tribute

When Phil Foden scored against Borussia Dortmund, there was no wild celebration that usually comes with a last-minute winner. As his Manchester City team-mates mobbed him he had a moment of reflection before pointing to the sky.

Foden has endured the toughest week of his career following the death of his adviser, Richard Green, who died from Covid-19. It is accurate to say Green was with Foden, and his family, on every step of his footballing journey to Champions League football and England caps.

Eight days before Foden’s first-team debut Green joined the teenager and his parents at the North West Football Awards where he was named Rising Star of 2017. Green had utter faith in him and Foden was starting to be noticed. If Green was in a player's corner, he would receive his total backing and Foden had that force pushing him.

Modern football has been shaped by Green’s work as a lawyer and adviser. It was Green who travelled to Valencia to help persuade Rafael Benítez to accept Liverpool’s offer to become their manager.

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“Maybe without him Istanbul would not have happened,” said Benítez last week in tribute to his friend and solicitor.

Green was a fanatical Liverpool fan who idolised Bill Shankly and dreamt of playing at Anfield. He eventually played in front of the Kop in Ronnie Moran’s testimonial in 1990. His faith in his own goalkeeping abilities was as strong as the belief he showed in his clients.

Friends have joked that Green’s rose-tinted spectacles would now be worth a fortune. He never wavered from his player being the best in the world, or his coach being smarter than any other. What other player in the world has two feet like Foden? Green’s own children would joke that Foden was like a fourth child of the family.

It was that support that explained why his death, aged 56, hit Foden so hard last week. “Heartbroken. Lost for words,” he wrote in a tweet, below. “It’s tough to write this. Richard, you helped and believed in me right from the start. You were amazing and I can’t thank you enough for all you did for me and my family. I’ll do everything I can to make you proud.”

Green’s belief in his clients was backed up with miles spent on the motorway travelling to watch them play. He was a lawyer but rarely behind his desk all day.

Other deals he was involved with included Andy Carroll’s £35 million move to Liverpool from Newcastle which made the striker the most expensive British signing. He also successfully defended Steven Gerrard when the Liverpool captain was charged with assault and affray.

Gabriel Heinze was a client when he attempted to move to Liverpool from Manchester United, while Green also represented Joey Barton in 2015 when he went to Burnley. He had his eye on the next star to come out of Manchester, working on the deal that took young striker Charlie McNeill from City to United last October.

Green, who was said to support the person rather than the badge while working in football and forged relationships with players, managers and their families, was also mourned by Kenny Dalglish, Terry McDermott and Jamie Carragher.

“We called him Petrocelli after a TV lawyer who was big at the time and I don’t think he ever lost that nickname,” said Dalglish. Many say he was much more than a lawyer. He would advise on multi-million pound contracts but had a priceless bond with players.

Foden had RIP Richard Green on his undershirt when he played against Dortmund and his adviser was clearly the first thing on his mind when he rolled the ball past Marwin Hitz. The first step in honouring the man who helped him reach great heights before his 21st birthday.

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