Rayan Cherki’s Pass Was A Thing Of Beauty

The video of any great goal is a rich text that offers the viewer countless details to plunge into and enjoy. One of my favorite aspects are the players' reactions. There's so much to read into the body language of a scorer and their teammates after the ball hits the net: their thoughts about the feat, their intentions, their perception of the moment's importance, how they feel about themselves, how they feel about each other.

One of the more interesting situations is when the pass that set up a goal was the play's true star, and looking out for how or whether the scorer goes about acknowledging that fact. I've seen all kinds of reactions in situations like those—from big-headed goal-getters who hog the spotlight after merely tapping in a sensational through ball, to grateful scorers who make a bee-line to the assister, imaginary shine rag in hand, to share the joy and glory together. What I can't recall seeing, however, was a response quite like Phil Foden's on Saturday after Manchester City's third goal in a 3-0 win against Sunderland: