Iman Beney has come a long way since travelling three hours to attend training as a 12-year-old in Switzerland. A standout at last summer’s Euros, the 19-year-old has emerged as the Women’s Super League’s latest breakout star, helping Manchester City sit top of the table, a point clear of Chelsea.
Andree Jeglertz’s side have won each of their last seven league games, their longest streak since 2023, and Swiss youngster Beney has become an important contributor sooner than many expected after injuries to Kerolin and Lauren Hemp early in the season. Her performances for Switzerland at the Euros hinted she was ready for this step, and Jeglertz has praised her “calmness and confidence,” adding: “Both her and I need to find out how to get even more out of her.”
At City’s training ground she shows composure beyond her years. “When I was 12, I was part of the Swiss academy and we were living like professionals,” she says. “It was at this time I was like ‘this is the journey of a pro player’. It was then I knew I wanted it.” She credits her father with guiding that process. “My dad knows everything about football, and what we needed to do to become professionals. It was easier in a way. He told me I needed to make sacrifices and that’s really important.”
Beney comes from a footballing family: her father and aunt played professionally and her brother, Romeo, is a winger at Famalicao in Portugal. That sibling rivalry helped drive her early development. Shortlisted for the 2025 Golden Girl award (won by Michelle Agyemang), Beney has already produced decisive moments for City, scoring the winner in a 3-2 victory over Arsenal and the equaliser as City came from behind to beat Liverpool in October.
She is skilled at escaping tight spaces — a trait Jeglertz relies on to retain control during matches. “It’s been easy to integrate,” she says. “When I signed I was thinking ‘maybe I will have some minutes’, but it’s been much more.” Beney has three goal contributions in four starts, and City are the league’s top scorers, their forward line collectively netting 15 goals — at least six more than any other side’s attacking unit.
In a team rich with attacking options, making a difference is difficult, but Beney has added a new dimension in a short time. She acknowledges the squad’s depth: “We start the season so well and have a good team where players can be missing, but it just means others are important. This is important if you want to win a championship.”
City have won seven of their opening eight games and are the first team other than Chelsea to begin a matchday as WSL leaders this far into a season since the penultimate weekend of 2023/24 — 78 weeks ago. Saturday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad is therefore crucial: dropping points could hand momentum back to Chelsea. Beney is set to play an important role in keeping City’s rivals at bay and in sustaining their title challenge.
Follow coverage of Man City vs Man Utd from the Etihad on Saturday in the dedicated live blog; kick-off 1.30pm.