Manchester City return to action on Saturday, when they host Brighton & Hove Albion. Until then, we make your international break much compelling with some Man City News and Notes. Both Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne cracked the Forbes Top 10 highest-paid footballers list for 2023.
See the full top ten below:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo ($260m)
2. Lionel Messi ($135m)
3. Neymar ($112m)
4. Kylian Mbappé ($110m)
5. Karim Benzema ($106m)
6. Erling Haaland ($58m)
7. Mohamed Salah ($53m)
8. Sadio Mané ($52m)
9. Kevin De Bruyne ($39m)
Winning a treble doesn’t come cheap you know?! You got to pay to play. Elsewhere as much as Haaland has been the Most Valuable Player this season for Man City, you can also make a case for Rodri, the midfield maestro.
City have lost all three matches that he’s been suspended, with the last two setbacks to Arsenal and Wolves, their first back-to-back league losses since 2018.
Finally, seldom used Kalvin Phillips could be on the move this January transfer window. According to an ESPN report, Phillips is considering his options elsewhere as “the 27-year-old is losing faith that he will ever be a regular at City.”
This concern was heightened in the aforementioned losses to Arsenal and Wolves, where Rodri was suspended, but Phillips still didn’t get the call.
The former Leeds United man and England international won’t get any opportunities in the League Cup either, given how City are already eliminated from that competition.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.