Man City news: "Robots are good, but magic is better" – Cherki on his mission to bring back beautiful football

France's squad song for the World Cup gives Ousmane Dembele top billing from the very first line. The PSG forward, current Ballon d'Or holder and FIFA Best player, is joined by Rayan Cherki as the new face of a fresh generation of French football, and one of Didier Deschamps' great hopes for the 2026 World Cup.

Cherki: a different kind of footballer

The Manchester City midfielder, alongside Desire Doue, is one of Deschamps's key figures for the tournament in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

With just four senior caps to his name, he has already done enough to convince the France manager he is ready to shoulder real attacking responsibility, whether as a starter or an impact substitute during the World Cup.

The skilful 22-year-old is already aiming for stardom in England. After being launched by Lyon in 2020, he became Manchester City's chosen successor to the iconic Kevin De Bruyne. Pep Guardiola backed the signing fully, with City investing £34m in the Frenchman.

What sets Cherki apart? His qualities on the pitch, above all. He is a creative player – much as De Bruyne was in his England years – with a streak of irreverence that makes him genuinely different.

Cherki wants to channel Ronaldinho and the football of his childhood

His highlight reels from his Lyon days were packed with bewildering dribbles, powerful strikes and visionary passes that stand in sharp contrast to the pragmatic football increasingly prevalent in Europe.

At Manchester City itself, that approach has already caused a few issues. He has not yet nailed down a regular starting berth under Guardiola and has been pulled up by the manager on a number of occasions in his first year in England. The most recent incident came when he performed three keep-ups in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal, drawing disapproving looks from the Spaniard on the touchline.

This season he also produced a Rabona cross in City's 3-0 win over Sunderland. Guardiola described the Frenchman as "one of the most talented players I have ever seen in my career", while also opposing some of the individual decisions he has been making in England. Those decisions, however, have a purpose: to bring back the kind of football Cherki fell in love with as a child.

Speaking to L'Equipe this month, Cherki said: "I'd like people to say, 'Robots are good, but magic is better.' Playing a perfect match, with 99% successful passes, is good, but producing one with five or six flashes of genius will always be better."

The French star's dream was to have been born in the same era as Ronaldinho, even if that would have meant his own flair going unnoticed by comparison. "I would have loved to be the best in that era. It must have been magical to go to the stadium," he reflected.

Guardiola does, of course, tend to ease his major signings into the team gradually. Cherki, for example, has featured in 25 Premier League matches this season but started only 14 of them. In addition to dazzling Guardiola with his "street football" at the 2025 Club World Cup, Cherki has now made 41 appearances for Manchester City this season, contributing nine goals and ten assists.

Cherki's pursuit of greatness

It is with this refreshingly honest style that Cherki has been making headlines. Without any false modesty, he echoes the spirit of what actor Timothee Chalamet said when collecting the Best Actor award at the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown: "I know we're in a subjective business, but the truth is I am genuinely in pursuit of excellence."

The same applies to Cherki. At 22, on the verge of his first World Cup, the Frenchman is already producing performances that could earn him Premier League Player of the Year recognition and a place in the season's best XI. Just as in a Hollywood production, that also depends on collective performance and the relationship between player and manager.

"With Pep, I see it more and more," Cherki said of his connection with the City manager. "The way he plays is the way I see football. Often I am alone in the free spaces. As he says, I don't need to run a lot to be in the right place."

Like many Hollywood stars, Cherki drew criticism early in his career for his on-pitch decisions, whether for dribbling too much or adding unnecessary flair to situations that could have been handled more simply. What others might have seen as growing pains to be smoothed out as he matured, Cherki took as a life lesson: to become an artist with the ball.

"There are many players with extraordinary talent, but few artists," he told L'Equipe. "I think I am one of them. Because I do things that sometimes even I don't understand," he added with a smile.

Whether Cherki starts against Brazil at the Gillette Stadium in the Boston area on Thursday is Deschamps's call alone. But one thing is clear, his inclusion in the squad adds another star to France's pursuit of a third World Cup title.