Manchester City recently suffered a defeat to Sporting CP, and now one Sporting player has openly shared his ambition to play under Pep Guardiola.
With City on a worrying four-game losing streak, fans are beginning to question the outlook for this season. Adding to their challenges, City have lost Rodri to an injury, and his absence has been keenly felt.
The third loss in this streak came in a tough Champions League clash, where Sporting CP capitalized on City’s defensive vulnerabilities to secure a 4-1 victory in Lisbon. The star of the match was Viktor Gyokeres, who delivered an outstanding performance with a hat-trick.
Following the game, however, it was another Sporting player—Maxi Araujo—who expressed his admiration for Manchester City and shared his hope of one day joining them.
Although Gyokeres claimed the headlines after Sporting’s resounding victory at Jose Alvalade Stadium, Araujo made his mark as well, scoring a goal as a left wing-back just seconds into the second half. The Uruguayan also impressed with his physicality and aggressive marking against City’s Savinho.
While City has shown interest in Gyokeres recently, with Sporting’s Hugo Viana reportedly keen on exploring a transfer, Guardiola downplayed any speculation, emphasizing his confidence in Erling Haaland as City’s top striker.
Meanwhile, Maxi Araujo didn’t hesitate to make his own ambitions known. After the game, he approached Pep Guardiola for a photo and shared, “Hopefully, hopefully… I asked him (Guardiola) for a photo, we talked for a few minutes, and he congratulated me. I’m very happy for that. We talked about the game, nothing much.”
Should Man City consider signing Maxi Araujo?
Araujo’s comments certainly stand out, especially following his solid performance against Manchester City. Having recently joined Sporting from Mexican club Toluca this summer, he has already made a notable start, recording two goals and one assist in 12 appearances.
Playing primarily as a wing-back for Sporting, Araujo previously played a more advanced winger role at Toluca, where he accumulated 11 goals and 10 assists.
While Manchester City may not urgently need another left-sided player, given options like Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Ake, and Rico Lewis, Araujo’s interest in joining City could make him a potential player to watch. Although his average match ratings currently place him 12th in Sporting’s squad according to WhoScored, it’s early in his career with Sporting, and at 24, he could develop further.
