England's loss at the Euro Cup finals last week may have dashed the nation's hopes about The Cup "Coming Home," but the memes about the team's star players have only just started heating up.

A major fixture in England's team this season has been midfielder Phil Foden, a young but serious-looking man with constantly ruddy cheeks and a crisp fade haircut. Memes about Foden have been making the rounds long before the Euros got started, with a joke about a cat that looks oddly like him taking the cake. Here's the low down on the Phil Foden Cat.

Where Did The Phil Foden Lookalike Cat Come From?

The image of the cat often posted in lieu of an image of Foden comes from the Instagram page @glenn_kitson, who posted the image with a caption actually referencing Phil Foden. The post read, "Phil Foden is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team. He is considered one of the best young players in the world."

The cat itself is named Marla, and she is often called the "Buscemi" cat due to people thinking she also bears a striking resemblance to the Hollywood star.

How Did The Phil Foden Cat Meme Spread?

Memes comparing Phil Foden to an angry-looking cat blew up on TikTok in 2024, with videos joking about a "Phil Foden looking ahh cat" gathering hundreds of thousands of views in the days leading up to the Euro Cup finals.

@sandfordinner I found Phil Fodens cat #catfoden #philfoden #fyp #football #viral #memes @Phil Foden ♬ HJ NA CASA DO SEU ZÉ X SE EU TIVER SOLTEIRO – shencoks

@yzkxi3

♬ Goofy ahh Coral Chorus – thatoneguy

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For the full history of the Phil Foden Cat, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.