HEARWAMING MAN: The touching reason why Phil Foden wears the number 47 jersey for Manchester City and has it tattooed on his neck

For the entirety of his professional career, Foden has worn the number 47 for City in memory of his late grandfather.

In remembrance of his late grandfather, Phil Foden wears the number 47 for Manchester City and has it permanently inked on his neck.

Why Phil Foden Wears Number 47 and has Tattoo

Although Foden has consistently worn the same number at the club level since signing his first professional deal in 2017, England supporters will grow accustomed to him donning it for the Three Lions during Euro 2024.

Not only does he wear an odd shirt number, but Trent Alexander-Arnold, a vital player at Anfield, continues to wear number 66 for Liverpool.

Phil Foden Manchester City 47 Tattoo – Photo éditoriale de stock – Image de stock | Shutterstock Editorial

According to the club’s kitman Lee Radcliffe, Foden doesn’t have a particularly personal motive for sticking with 66, but he does have a heartfelt cause for wearing the number 47 shirt.

The cause is the death of Foden’s grandfather, Walter, when he was young, at the age of just 47.

The City playmaker asked his father’s permission before deciding to accept the number in his honour.

In April, he stated to the Daily Mail, “I had a couple numbers provided to me. Aside from that 47, none of them truly meant anything to me.

“My grandfather passed away at that age. We lost him when I was a small girl.

The heartwarming reason why Phil Foden wears number 47 for Manchester City and has it tattooed on his neck

“I recall travelling to Wales and on a few other excursions with him. It was a pleasure to play football with my dad, he says.

“I asked my father if wearing that number would make him happy. I took the shirt number after he said it would be fantastic, and I’ve been in love with it ever since.”

Foden said, “It’s a shirt I don’t ever see changing,” and described how he later had the number permanently inked on his neck for the same reason.

“It’s a strange number nobody else will go for, so hopefully in years to come when I have finished, 47 at City will be remembered for Phil Foden.”

The City and England player pays additional homage to his grandfather by going by Walter for his second name.

“I don’t think many people realised that was my middle name, so they were quite surprised when I posted it online to see that it was Walter!” he said in a January interview with CNN FC.