Manchester City maverick Rayan Cherki compared to sporting legends Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Roger Federer

Cherki’s catalogue of tricks and flicks have dazzled Manchester City fans in the Frenchman’s first season at the Etihad. 

The 22-year-old has proved himself a crowd pleaser, who often provokes an intake of breath from supporters when he receives the ball. 

But he has also provided end product in his debut Premier League campaign, with four goals and 10 assists by the start of May - the first to hit double figures for assists in a maiden English top-flight season since Dimitri Payet in 2015/16, as per Opta.

”I love watching him warm up,” Cole told TNT Sports’ The Breakdown. ”I think he thinks I’m a bit of a stalker. When we do the games, I watch everything he does. 

”You know when you watch [Roger] Federer play tennis, and it’s just effortless, or do you remember that famous clip of [Diego] Maradona warming up, and he’s just dancing to the music? Cherki’s like that. He’s got such ability.”

The former Chelsea, Liverpool and England international continued: ”It’s beautiful. Football is entertainment. You pay your money to watch a player you’re not going to be able to see at Hackney Marshes on the weekend.”

Cole marvelled in particular at Cherki’s pair of assists in City’s 3-0 victory over Chelsea in April.

The attacker, who reportedly cost City a mere £30.5m from Olympique Lyonnais in the summer of 2025, chopped back and forth, before clipping a perfectly-weighted ball into the path of Nico O’Reilly to open the scoring. 

Then, for City’s third, Cherki opened up his body, ghosted past two defenders, seemingly working an angle to shoot, only to poke the ball through to Marc Guehi to finish.

”The only other player I’ve seen play those types of passes is [Lionel] Messi,” Cole said. ”Where you’re watching it - we’re up and elevated, so you can see everything - and he still found a pass you can't see. I’ve got 15 screens around me!”

And looking towards the future, TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher noted that he believed there was still more to come from Cherki. 

”He’s only scratching the surface,” said Fletcher. ”He’s still young, it’s still his first season. 

”You wonder where he’s going to get to. You wonder whether down the line you’ll be talking about him in the same breath as your David Silvas.”

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