Manchester City of the English Premier League won 3-1 over Leipzig in the second match of Group G of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League held in Leipzig, Germany in the early morning of the 5th.

Manchester City faced Leipzig with Haaland as the front line attacker, followed by Grealish, Foden, Lewis, and Bernardo Silva. Rodri and Akanji were in charge of the midfield, while Gvardiol, Dias and Walker were in charge of defense. 

Foden opened the scoring in the 25th minute of the first half. Foden finished Lewis’ pass that broke through the right side of the penalty area with a right-footed shot.레고토토

Manchester City, who gave up a 1-1 goal to Offenda in the 3rd minute of the second half, went one step further with Alvarez’s goal in the 39th minute of the second half, and Doku’s goal in extra time of the second half led to a 3-1 win. After the second game, Man City took the lead in Group G with two wins. Leipzig is in second place in the group with 1 win and 1 loss (3 points).

Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, who achieved victory on a difficult away road, singled out one player after the game and described him as “one of the best players I have trained.”

According to an article reported by The Sun on the 5th, Coach Guardiola was said to have been full of praise for the ‘young star’. The player who achieved the treble last season and received praise from coach Guardiola, who emerged as the best current coach, was wonderkid Rico Luis. In this game, Coach Guardiola named him to the starting list and had him play full time.

However, if you look at Lewis’ age, you may be surprised. Born on November 21, 2004, he is truly a wonder kid who is only 18 years old. It can be said that he is so loved by coach Guardiola that he boldly sent him to the Champions League.

Coach Guardiola used Luis in 23 games last season as well. He also scored against Sevilla in the Champions League. It captured the heart of coach Guardiola. Lewis, who has established himself as a ‘reliable man’ again this season, performed outstandingly in today’s game.

In particular, Lewis assisted Foden, who scored the first goal. Lewis broke through the right side of the penalty area and provided an assist to Foden, who was running straight ahead.

How much Coach Guardiola likes Luis was revealed at the press conference after the game. Coach Guardiola first explained Luis’ role to reporters and asked, “Did you see that Luis played well? He is truly a great player. “He was only 18 years old,” he said in praise.

Coach Guardiola’s praise did not stop. “In his 14 or 15 years as a manager, he has trained a lot of unbelievable players,” he said, giving the player a thumbs up, adding, “He is one of the best players I have ever trained.”

Guardiola continued: “Luis is an amazing, outstanding player. “He is really outstanding,” he said. “Lewis has a lot of personality and can play in four or five positions. “He is only 18 years old, but he is not afraid and his defense is really good,” he said, praising him to the point where his mouth was watering.

Guardiola, who praised the 18-year-old player in public, seemed embarrassed and jokingly pointed out Luis’ shortcomings. He said, “Lewis is only 5 feet 7 inches tall.” The only flaw is that he is only 170cm tall.

Guardiola also said: “Luis is a humble player who does not speak much, but is appreciated by all his colleagues. He hasn’t played much this season. Last season he was a key point and helped us understand what to do in the build-up. “It was evidence again in today’s game,” he said, expressing satisfaction with Lewis’ play.

Coach Guardiola then announced that he would give Luis more opportunities to play, saying, “Lewis hasn’t played much so far this season, but he will play a lot in the future.”

Lewis was named to the U.S. tour list in the preseason before last season. Although he was only 17 years old at the time, Guardiola took him in. He confessed that he had no plans to put him on the passenger list for the U.S. until Carlos Vicens, coach of the youth team who coached Luis, recommended him. He said, “Viceens said, ‘Take Louis. “I recommended him as a versatile player who can play right back and left back.”

In the United States, Lewis played as a right-back against Bayern Munich and stole Guardiola’s heart. From this point on, Luis began training with Guardiola and learned that “Luis is a really good player.”

Guardiola said, “When playing inside, you must have the vision to see both forward and backward. Because passes come from everywhere. That is the most difficult position to play. “As a central defender, all you can see is what is in front of you, but Lewis has great talent,” he explained.

Lastly, Guardiola said, “I am very happy for Luis. He deserves praise from us and the media. “He deserves it,” he said. “He has become part of the team with his ability. The most important thing for a player is to earn the respect of his teammates. Athletes are not stupid. They smell everything in the stadium. “They know who they can rely on on the pitch, and they can rely on Lewis.” Although he is young, it is a compliment that he is as reliable a player as his older brothers.