So today I wanted to fix up my phone’s background, you know? It was some boring default scenery thing. Needed something fresh, something with energy. And being a massive Phil Foden fan, obviously, he popped into my head. That lad’s magic on the pitch deserves some screen time!
The Starting Point: Blank Screen Blues
First thing was realizing my current wallpaper was pure rubbish. Just didn’t spark any joy. I knew I wanted Phil Foden, but finding the right photo? That was the tricky bit. Googling felt messy – tons of low-res pics, awkward crops, watermarks everywhere. Annoying.
The Search: Hunting for Gold
Next step? Scouring the places I trust. Dove into official club galleries first – Manchester City’s site has some decent ones, especially after big wins or when he scores a worldie. Then checked out big sports photography agencies, looking for those high-quality action shots where he’s controlling the ball or celebrating. Instagram is hit-or-miss, but some fan accounts dedicated to City or Foden sometimes share cracking edits. Took me a fair while! I saved maybe fifteen options onto my laptop just to have a pool to pick from.
The Lightbulb Moment & The Edit
Looking through my saved pics, I realized most needed a little tweak. Phone screens are bright, right? Some awesome shots were just a bit too dark when I previewed them on my actual phone. Or Phil himself wasn’t quite popping enough.
Grabbed my free editing app – nothing fancy, just the basics. Played around with:
- Brightness: Upped it just a bit so I could see his face clearly.
- Contrast: Bumped this slightly to make Phil stand out from the background.
- Cropping: This was key! Phone screens are tall and skinny. Some amazing wide shots had Phil off to the side. Had to chop them so he was central or looked good filling the screen.
- Saturation: Gave the City blue a tiny little boost. Looks lush now.
The Frustrating Bit: Getting the Fit Right
Honestly? The cropping drove me nuts for a minute. Found this perfect shot of him controlling the ball mid-turn, legs all fancy, but in the full photo, it looked amazing. Cropping it for portrait mode? His hand was cut off! Tried different positions, zooming in, zooming out. Eventually realized that photo just wasn’t working vertically. Had to ditch it for another one where he was celebrating a goal – arms up, big smile – that framed beautifully.
The Final Pick: Pure City Magic
After way too long fiddling, I settled on one. It’s Phil in the City home kit, focused on the ball at his feet, those sky blue sleeves bright, a blurry Etihad crowd behind him. Edited it to look sharp, bright, and just perfect filling the screen. Instantly hit set as wallpaper.
Feeling proper chuffed with it now. That bright blue looks brilliant, Phil looks sharp, and every time I unlock my phone? Pure footy vibes. Took ages finding the one and getting it just right, but totally worth the effort.