Man City Lunchtime Round-Up, Wednesday 21st October 2026: Maresca Hails Foden Hat-Trick Hero

Enzo Maresca has been full of praise for Phil Foden after the midfielder's hat-trick in the Champions League win over AEK Athens, with the City boss describing him as "one of the best English players" (BBC Sport).

Away from the pitch, former Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm has used a Guardian column to argue that football must not become detached from its roots, pointing to City's case as an example of a top club bending the rules and suggesting the Bundesliga's member-ownership model offers a better way forward (The Guardian).

On the individual honours front, ManCity.com has published a guide to everything fans need to know ahead of the 2026 Ballon d'Or (ManCity.com).

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.