Phil Foden remained dignified over the weekend as Manchester United fans unleashed a vile chant towards his mum, Claire Rowlands. Foden, first joined the Manchester City academy aged just four and since then, his beloved mum has been by his side supporting him but also protecting him.
When Foden, now 24 joined the first team at the age of 17, Claire was the driving force behind his determination and success. She previously stated he was a “cheap” child and shunned lavish gifts in exchange for footballs. While Claire herself is a Man City supporter, Phil’s dad, also named Phil, supports Manchester United.
Although the two teams are rivals, this has never stopped his parents getting behind and showing Foden support on and off the pitch. Speaking previously, Phil revealed that his mum would often buy him “City things” growing up. These included City bedding, posters a pencil case, calendar and an alarm clock.
“It was City mad,” he told The Times in 2020. Since finding fame and becoming one of England’s best midfielders, he’s always kept his parents close to his heart. When he was just 18, he purchased a stunning £2 million property in Cheshire for Claire and Phil Snr, which they had a hand in choosing.
But the family man was keen to ensure he was close to his mum and dad and snapped up a property just a few minutes away for himself, partner Rebecca and their children. This weekend, Claire was once again the subject of vile criticism during the Manchester derby. The 44-year-old was branded a “s**g” by cruel United fans during the match. Phil was taken off in the 58th minute and replaced by Jeremy Doku.
He dismissed the cruel taunts as he hit back with a string of gestures towards the United fans who had packed into Old Trafford. In a video which has been shared on TikTok, Phil can be seen clapping back at the trolls while giving them a sarcastic thumbs up as he gestured towards them to carry on with their sick taunts.
Following the match, which ended 0-0, he took to Instagram saying: “We keep going.” Meanwhile, City boss Pep Guardiola hit out, saying those who engaged in the cruel chant ought to be “ashamed” of themselves. Fans have since blasted the move on social media, with one writing: “Shocking chant, clubs should get fined for stuff like this.” A second added: “The same fans who would be celebrating if he scored for England.”
“How embarrassing, fully grown men chanting that,” said a third. Meanwhile a fourth fumed: “As a Real Madrid fan thats messed up bro leave Foden’s mom alone.” Another added: “Idc [I don’t care] I’m a United fan don’t attack a players family I don’t care that is too far.” Despite Phil being grown up, Claire is still fiercely protective of her son and this was made clear during an incident in Manchester in 2022.
While attending a boxing match at the AO Arena, Claire put herself forward and confronted people during an altercation involving Phil. “Right, who’s calling him?” fumed Claire. One of those involved responded: “No one.” Not fazed by the group, she hit back: “Right, then f**k off!” During the clash, Claire was brutally hit in the face by the aggressors as they were walking through a private corridor to their suite in the arena.
A man dressing in a baseball cap instantly stepped in to defend Claire. When Phil broke through onto the first team, his parents were the first people he thanked. He said on social media: “Family. Thank you to my mum and Dad who have made all this possible.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
