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Lionel Messi should leave Barcelona for a reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, says former Camp Nou assistant Juan Carlos Unzue.

Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi sent shockwaves through world football by handing in a transfer request at Barca this week.

City are viewed as frontrunners for his signature, with Messi reported to have called Guardiola – Barcelona's head coach during a decorated period between 2008 and 2012 when Messi became widely regarded as the finest player on the planet – to give him notice of his intention to leave the club he joined as a 12-year-old.

Disputes and negotiations over how much of a fee Barcelona can collect for a player who officially remains not for sale, indeed whether they are entitled to a fee at all, are set to rumble on next week.

Unzue, who served as Guardiola's goalkeeping coach at Barca before working as assistant to Luis Enrique between 2014 and 2017, hopes a resolution that ends with Messi in Manchester is reached.

"On one hand, if he leaves Barcelona, I would love that he goes to remember old times with people he already knows and has felt a shared success with," he told Stats Perform News .

"I hope he goes to Manchester City; I say this sincerely. I am sure his decision will be very tough.

"Also, I am sure he keeps a great memory of that period with Pep because everyone has grown up alongside Pep.

"This is a reality, not just the players but everyone who has worked in the staff too. I speak for myself, but I have felt and heard that from others."

Messi requesting a move only amplified the noise of superclub in chaos, with sporting director Eric Abidal following head coach Quique Setien out of the door in the wake of the humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat to eventual winners Bayern Munich.

Ronald Koeman was installed as Setien's successor by under-fire president Josep Maria Bartomeu, although claims the Dutchman swiftly told Luis Suarez he was surplus to requirements apparently only exacerbated the Messi situation, which appears to have been brewing for some time.

"I think it is complicated because he is an intelligent person with a great personality, although very introverted," Unzue said.

"This is not in the heat of the moment. I am sure he has absolutely evaluated the circumstances. I think he deserves and has earned the right to make his own decision.

"We can talk about whether it is the best or the worst way. I will not say anything because I do not know what happened within the club and between the people involved. He has earned that right."

The now infamous burofax, sent by Messi's representatives to Barcelona asking to leave, sought to invoke a clause in his contract that allows him to walk away for free at the end of each season.

Even though the terms of that clause are now up for debate given how the coronavirus pandemic distorted the schedule, Unzue feels it shows Barcelona were willing to grant Messi the autonomy over his future he is now trying to exercise.

"The contracts he has signed during the last years said this," he added. "The club has left a door open to give him the opportunity to decide.

"He understands he can find other motivations, other team-mates in another place, a change that sometimes is necessary."

Lionel Messi remains a “magician” and would be an “incredible” addition for Manchester City despite his advancing years, says Micah Richards.

The Blues are looking to position themselves at the front of a notable transfer queue.

With Messi informing Barca of his desire to move on in the current window, a scramble for his signature has been sparked.

Few clubs can offer the financial and sporting package required to land a six-time Ballon d’Or winner, but City form part of an elite group of clubs that are daring to dream.

The Premier League outfit have a number of factors working in their favour, including the presence at the Etihad Stadium of former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola and Argentina international frontman Sergio Aguero.

They are considered to be serious contenders to prise Messi from Camp Nou, with excitement building in English football amid a remarkable saga.

Richards is among those hoping to see an all-time great make his way to the Premier League.

The former City defender believes Messi would shine on such a stage despite having previously never plied his club football outside of La Liga and now being the wrong side of 30.

Richards told Sky Sports of a man who has maintained unworldly standards over the course of his career to date: “As a fan of football, to have Messi in the Premier League would be fantastic. I'd love to see him over here but Barcelona will not make it easy.

“He's 33 but I watched him against Napoli and thought, he's still got it, he's still a magician.

“When Sheikh Mansour took over, the signing of Robinho from Real Madrid was massive. He was the catalyst for the likes of [David] Silva, Aguero, [Vincent] Kompany.

“If Man City could pull it off, it would be incredible.”

Feelers are said to have been put out by City as they explore the option of adding Messi to their ranks.

He is, however, set to hold further talks with Barca regarding his future and may yet be talked into prolonging his association with the Catalan giants and committing to a new contract beyond the summer of 2021.

Orlando Pirates secured their maiden win since the current season resumed when they defeated SuperSport United 2-1 in a PSL match which was played on Saturday afternoon.

The Buccaneers were desperate to snap their six-match winless run in the league and also boost their hopes of qualifying for next season's Caf Confederation Cup.

Coach Josef Zinnbauer made two changes to the team which faced and lost to Cape Town City last weekend with Fortune Makaringe and Frank Mhango making their return to the starting line-up.

On the other hand, Matsatsantsa were looking to extend their unbeaten run to six matches in the league having defeated Polokwane City and Black Leopards in their last two games. 

Zinnbauer's counterpart, Kaitano Tembo surprisingly preferred young centrebacks Luke Fleurs and Thatayaone Ditlhokwe ahead of the experienced Bongani Khumalo in the absence of Clayton Daniels. 

However, a youthful SuperSport side started the match well with the team featuring a three-man midfield of Sipho Mbule, Jamie Webber and Teboho Mokoena, who are all under the age of 23. 

Mokoena had a glorious opportunity to hand the visitors an early lead following a good move in the Pirates box, but goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands came out to deny the young midfielder from close range.

Pirates grew in confidence as the match progressed and they were nearly gifted a goal when Botswana youth international Ditlhokwe slipped up and gave away possession to Mhango.

The Malawi international unleashed a powerful shot which was brilliantly saved by Ronwen Williams in the Matsatsantsa goal and the away side survived a scare. 

However, Williams was beaten when Thembinkosi Lorch combined with Vincent Pule, who pulled the trigger from range and his left-footed effort hit the back of the net to make it 1-0 to Pirates in the 29th minute.

Matsatsantsa then pushed for the equalising goal and they got it in the 41st minute when Fleurs rewarded Tembo's faith in him by heading home Webber's corner-kick to make it 1-1 heading into the half-time break.

Zinnbauer decided to make a change in the early stages of the second half as he introduced Lerato Lepasa, who replaced Mhango, and the lanky centre forward made an immediate impact.

Lorch made a brilliant pass for Lepasa and the former TS Galaxy striker burst into the Matsatsantsa box, before firing past Bafana Bafana international Williams to make it 2-1 to Pirates.

Almost immediately at the other end, SuperSport were awarded a penalty when Innocent Maela was adjudged to have fouled second-half substitute Ghampani Lungu in the box.

Bradley Grobler had a chance to join Mhango and Highlands Park striker Peter Shaulile at the top of the league's goalscoring charts with the duo currently on 14 goals, but the marksman was denied by Sandilands from the spot-kick.

However, SuperSport continued to attack and they were awarded another penalty when Aubrey Modiba was fouled by Ntsikelelo Nyauza inside the box.

This time former Pirates striker Thamsanqa Gabuza stepped up and he was denied by the experienced Sandilands, who ensured that the score remained 2-1 to Pirates.

SuperSport launched late attacks as they looked to snatch a late equalizing goal, but the hosts contained the likes of Gabuza, Lungu and Grobler and ultimately, Pirates emerged 2-1 winners on the day.

The victory took the Buccaneers to the fourth spot on the league standings - a point behind third-placed SuperSport with two matches left.

The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar is one of the five venues of the upcoming FIFA Women's U17 World Cup that is set to be held in India in February 2021.

Preparations are in full swing and Odisha's Commissioner-cum-Sports-Secretary Vishal Dev has stated that the infrastructure in the state will be ready by the end of September. 

"It is our privilege to be a part of the upcoming FIFA Women’s U17 World Cup. Our preparations are on track. The main pitch at the Kalinga Stadium is ready. We are creating three new FIFA standard pitches in the city. The idea is to provide the best infrastructure and training facilities for the participants.

"We have four practice pitches and we have another synthetic football turf that is coming up. We will be hosting eight matches including a quarterfinal and a semifinal of the tournament. We hope to be ready by the end of September," said Dev during a webinar hosted by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry).

He also spoke at length about FIFA Women’s World Cup legacy programme which will focus on identifying and nurturing young footballers from the state. FIFA will be the technical partner for the programme, alongside the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

"The idea of the legacy programme is to boost women’s football in the state. We have identified 11 districts and there we intend to create clubs and enroll girls for the leagues under the programme. Equipment will be provided to the school and we aim to improve the infrastructure across the 11 districts," stated Dev.

India was appointed as the host by the FIFA Council meeting at Miami on 15 March 2019. The country had also successfully hosted the 2017 U17 Men's World Cup.

Five venues have been selected as host cities - the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, EKA Arena in Ahmedabad and the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Spain are the defending champions, having won the 2018 edition while India will be participating for the first time ever.

Napoli head coach Gennaro Gattuso has warned fans not to expect too much from summer signing Victor Osimhen, despite the Nigeria international striking a treble on his debut.

The Serie A outfit were in impressive form as they defeated Castel di Sangro 10-0 and L’Aquila 11-0 in pre-season friendly matches that lasted only 45 minutes, with Osimhen bagging a treble and also adding an assist in the latter of those fixtures.

It took him only eight minutes to compile his three goals, but Gattuso has called on fans not to expect too much from the €80 million (£70m/$93m) man.

“It’s not like we suddenly signed Pele or Maradona, we simply brought in a player with certain characteristics that can help us,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“It’s too easy to get excited now, we’ve got to give him time and let him work, not put pressure on.

“He is an important player and we paid a lot for him, but there were no doubts he would give us something different that we haven’t had in my time here. There’s a long way to go.”
  
Meanwhile, the coach is pleased with the direction the team is heading, though he has warned that more needs to come from them if they are to reclaim their place among Italy’s best sides after a seventh-placed finish last term.

“I am satisfied with the work we’re doing, the team is motivated and knows what it wants,” the former Italy midfielder said.

“We are all aware that we have to improve in so many respects. We’ve got to do better when off the ball, be able to cover every inch of the field and find the right balance.

“More importantly, stamina, because I still can’t believe we basically scored three goals against ourselves against Barcelona in the Champions League. We’ve got to stay totally focused for 90 minutes.

“We must be aware that what we did last season wasn’t enough to qualify for the Champions League, so we must all do more and believe strongly in what we are doing.”

The new Serie A season is due to get underway on September 19, following the international fixtures at the start of the month.

Confederation of African Football (Caf) instructor Majida Nantanda believes many female players retire early from the game because football in Uganda is still in its first phase.

Despite the undoubted talent in Uganda, women disappear from the game and those who make it, end up quitting early, and the former Crested Cranes coach has explained why. 

"It is so sad that our girls retire from active football at a tender age," Nantanda told Fufa FM.

"This is so because right now women football is still in its first phase; that is to say that football is still based in secondary schools. For instance, schools like Ugandan Martyrs Rubaga, Rhines, Kawempe Muslims do offer bursaries to girls who can play football which helps parents to benefit over six years of education.

"After the six years at the secondary level, since we have few universities that have embraced women football, the girls lose motivation and morale which forces them to put football aside."  

The former player has also pointed out the level of competition in women's football and its impact.

"In addition, there has not been strong competition in women football, but at least things have improved, for example, during our generation, we stopped playing active football in 2003 when we faced the Tanzania team," Nantanda continued. 

"Since then, there was no active football competition up to 2009, and even in 2009, we just went to a junior team of under 20."

The instructor has now urged all involved to work together, promote the game, ensure the girls and all involved benefit.

"The Federation and football stakeholders should be able to sensitize parents and players that football is now employment, not a leisure activity," she added.

"The club owners should also be able to pay these women to continue motivating them.

"Lastly, these ladies in football should be ready to work extra hard, our ladies once praised by media coverage, they tend to lose it and think they have everything which ends up costing them so they have to keep focused."  

Currently, the Uganda U17 women's team are preparing to play Cameroon in a two-legged affair in the 2021 World Cup qualifier scheduled for late October and early November. 

Eight girls from Jharkhand have been part of the India U17 Women's team that has preparing for the U17 World Cup for the last year or so. There remains a possibility that a couple of more players from Jharkhand might also receive a national call-up. 

The Jharkhand government has lent the U17 girls their complete support as such. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has personally met the girls during the Coronavirus pandemic and has promised that they would be supported in every possible manner.

Jharkhand's Secretary of Sports, Pooja Singhal, once again reasserted the Govt's support for the team and are making sure that their progress is not hindered under any circumstance. 

"Eight tribal girls of Jharkhand have been selected to represent India in the upcoming U17 World Cup. We are expecting at least six of them to be in the final squad. They are the future mascots of Jharkhand. Even UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Fund) is projecting them as ambassadors in their campaign ‘Champions of Change’.

She also said that the state Govt is planning to host a national camp for the U17 Women's World Cup squad in the future.

"We are also expecting to host the U17 national camp in Jharkhand with support from the AIFF (All India Football Federation). That will be a major milestone for Jharkhand. I thank the Chief Minister for giving his mandate that his priority is U17 World Cup and providing the girls with every possible support," said Singhal in a webinar hosted by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry). 

Jharkhand have been at the forefront for promoting women's football for the past four-five years.

And in 2019 they even reaped rewards in the Sub-Junior and Junior Girls National Football Championship, bagging gold and silver respectively in the two competitions. 

Young Africans (Yanga SC) have promised a major and final signing when they celebrate Wiki ya Mwananchi on Sunday.

The Jangwani giants have already signed Michael Sarpong, Yacouba Sogne, Carlos Stenio Fernandes Guimaraes do Carmo ‘Carlinhos’ and Waziri Junior but according to GSM Director Hersi Said, the giants will unveil Rwandan striker Jacques Tuyisenge on Sunday.

Tuyisenge is a free agent having parted ways with Petro Atletico of Angola, a club he joined from Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Gor Mahia in 2019.

“We have a big surprise for our fans, and it will happen on Sunday, we will close our transfer activities with a big signing [of striker], we want our fans to be ready for the signing,” Said is quoted saying by Sokaletu.

“The striker is none other than Jacques [Tuyisenge], we will unveil him on Sunday, so our fans must come in large numbers to see the unveiling ceremony, it is a big surprise for them.

“Last season, Yanga fans suffered a lot because we did not have strikers to give us the goals, but this time around we have signed quality strikers, we have beefed up our squad and are confident of doing well in the new season.”

The striker left K'Ogalo for Angola in 2019, after helping them to win three league titles during his three-year stint.

Despite his exit, the Rwandan international stated K'Ogalo will remain part of his heart as he left to join the Angolan side.

Tuyisenge arrived at Gor Mahia in January 2016 and became a regular goalscorer for the Kenya giants. He managed to score 50 goals for the team and was one of the best strikers in the division.

Coincidentally, his former team Gor Mahia are hunting the services of his teammate in the national team, Patrick Sibomana.

Sibomana was among the 14 players released by Young Africans SC (Yanga SC) after the end of the 2019/20 season.

The 24-year-old had scored six goals in the Tanzania Mainland League in favour of the 27-time league champions, but his contract was not extended as Timu ya Wananchi felt they needed a better player in the offensive position.

Victor Wanyama’s Montreal Impact teammates did not want to play against Toronto FC on Tuesday, it has now been reported.

The reports Montreal Impact players were reluctant to face their rivals in a match they lost 1-0 on Friday have been linked to the widespread solidarity demonstrations following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Montreal Impact against Toronto FC tie was the first one to be played after the postponement of five matches on Wednesday.

After the loss, Wanyama’s manager Thierry Henry did not want to be dragged into the debate surrounding the said go-slow. 

“Please can we talk about the game? Toronto played a good game and they deserved to win. So can we talk about that?” Henry said in his post-match reaction.

“Toronto kept the ball at the beginning and didn’t give us the ball back cheaply. [Alejandro] Pozuelo, [Pablo] Piatti – guys like that in the middle. [Marky] Delgado with [Michael] Bradley – they know how to manage the ball.

“And so it became difficult for us to get it back. Once you don’t get it back, you can’t obviously impose your style and so it became difficult. As I said, they were better than us on the day, but we have an opportunity to rectify that on Tuesday.”

Montreal Impact centre-back Luis Binks was categorical players did not want to be involved in the Friday match.

“Yeah, no one [on the Impact] wanted to play. That’s true,” Binks said.

“But I don’t think we can use that as an excuse. The final decision was to play, so we played the game. We weren’t good enough. They were pretty better than us. They had more chances than us.

“There are a lot of boys in the changing room, if not everyone, who felt that the right decision was to support what’s going on and try to make a stand against what’s going on in the US.

“And we thought it would be quite powerful if two Canadian clubs – although it’s not happening in Canada, racism happens everywhere – but although what happened didn’t happen directly in Canada, we thought it would be good for us to show our support.

“But for whatever reason, that didn’t happen. And we played the game. But I don’t think we can use that as an excuse to say that’s why we didn’t win or that’s why we didn’t play as well as we can.”

Toronto captain Michael Bradley responded on whether there was communication between them and Montreal Impact regarding the need to take part in the social justice movement protest.

“It’s not worth talking about. Again, there are real things to talk about. There are important issues at hand,” Bradley said.

“The behind-the-scenes stuff that has gone on in so many different locker rooms and across different leagues, that stuff is not important right now.”

Montreal Impact won their previous match against Vancouver Whitecaps.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has said that if he were in charge of handing out the Ballon d’Or this year, he would award it to himself.

The Pole helped Bayern to win the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League, with the hitman the leading scorer in each of those competitions.

It was the best season of his career to date as he found the net on 55 occasions in just 47 matches, notably scoring in every Champions League match he played until the final.

He will not, however, have the opportunity to win the coveted individual accolade, with France Football, who organise the award, having elected to shelve it for a year because of the coronavirus crisis.

For many people, he was the outstanding candidate – and that includes himself.

“We won everything there was to be won. I was the top scorer in every competition. I think if a player has achieved that much, he should win the Ballon d'Or,” he told Onet.

He credited Bayern’s success in Europe, which came after a spectacular 8-2 quarter-final victory over Barcelona, a 3-0 semi-final success over Lyon and a 1-0 final win over Paris Saint-Germain, to the strength in depth of their squad.

“If Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic come on in the 80th minute, then the opponent knows what is going on: they realise that we do not intend to stop pressing. That makes them insecure,” he explained before going on to discuss the tremendous self confidence in the squad.

“Before the game, we knew we were going to beat Barca. Some even said it would be a 5-1 - but an 8-2 is something completely different. We were very confident. 

“Before the game against Barca, Serge Gnabry and Joshua Kimmich met me. They didn't ask whether we would win this game, but whether we would win the Champions League. I answered: ‘Yes.’”

Quizzed about interest from Real Madrid last summer, the 32-year-old said that he had no intention of leaving the Allianz Arena: “During this phase I felt the support from FC Bayern, which was sometimes a little lacking before. Ultimately, I believed in the FC Bayern project.

“I want to play at the highest level after 2023. And I'm not yet thinking about what I'll do afterwards.”

BUL FC head coach Arthur Kyesimira believes they can push for the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) title against top teams like KCCA FC and Vipers SC.

BUL won just two of the last 10 matches of the cancelled season after starting on a strong footing. Kyesimira says the target will be to win the league title as they will not be proud fighting for relegation.

“The British say, don’t blow your own trumpet, but the Americans add that if you believe enough, please do,” Kyesimira said as was quoted by Football256.

“So, I believe that the clubs who have been on top like Vipers and KCCA are strong teams but we can push them.

“Yes, there is a difference between a good team and a great team. Great teams are successful for a long time. We are a good team, but I am sure after some years we shall be described as a great team.

“We cannot get the next season underway without having that goal. Of course, different teams have different agendas at the start of the season, but we cannot be proud of fighting for survival as a club.”

The Jinja club has already signed seven players but the coach revealed the coronavirus pandemic affected their scouting mission.

“The challenge now is that with the coronavirus pandemic in play, a lot has changed and we cannot get many of the options we want,” he added.

“We also don’t know when we can return and with the licensing process going on, it means we have to move as fast to get a lot of stuff on board and that makes the whole situation tricky.”

He also spoke about the status of players and some of their expiring contracts.

“We have a couple of players whose contracts have lapsed, but we have started talks over the renewal for some of them while others the club will make an official statement soon, we have to wait and see,” he concluded.

“We are also looking at having more battle-hardened players come in, but they need to fit into the profile of what we want.

“We have already had arrivals and I am confident that they bring something different to the squad and improve the quality of the squad.”

Aggrey Madoi, Ibrahim Mugulusi and Davis Mutebi are some of the players the club have signed.

Kenneth Kibaale Elvis, Douglas Bithum, Paul Mbaziira and Peter Onzima are the other new stars who are expected to help BUL mount a meaningful campaign in the 2020/21 season.

Striker Elvis Rupia is set to remain at AFC Leopards for another season after agreeing to a one-year extension.

The striker joined the team from Wazito FC in January on a short term contract and went on to play a vital role in helping Ingwe finish sixth in the abandoned 2019/20 season. The 13-time champions were desperate to keep the Kenya striker and have been negotiating for the last three months.

"We have a breakthrough, Rupia is going to be with us for another year," Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda confirmed to Goal on Saturday.

"It has been a long period of negotiations but I am glad we have managed to reach an agreement and the player will be with us for another season. He is an important player for us, and we believe his commitment to the club is not in doubt."

The chairman has also explained the reason why they have not yet announced new signings.

"We cannot unveil what we have not yet completed," Shikanda who played for Ingwe in the late 1980s continued.

"However, we are still working hard to ensure we complete some deals in the near future.

"Fans should be patient, we are working around the clock but in the end, we will have some good news for all."  

The KPL giants have been linked with several players, one of them being Fabrice Kakule Mugheni.

According to reports reaching Goal, the Democratic Republic of Congo midfielder has already touched down in the country and is at the club’s headquarters finalising the last details of his deal.

"The boy is in town. The club and the player are already in agreement that the deal should last for two years,” a source close to the development told Goal.

AFC Leopards have been working silently in the transfer market so far and the only player to have confirmed a pre-contract arrangement with them is Peter Thiong’o from Kakamega Homeboyz.

Mugheni is one of the players that left Rwandan giants Rayon Sports in June as the club experienced a mass exodus.

Kakamega Homeboyz winger Peter Thiong'o is also destined for the club and has agreed on a two-year pre-contract deal. 

The agent who helped Lionel Messi join Barcelona admits Manchester City represent a "rational choice" for the player and has clarified his suggestion that Inter will sign him.

The latest reports from Spain indicate Messi remains set on leaving Barca in this transfer window despite the club's determination to keep him.

City are considered one of the favourites to sign the Argentina star, but Inter and Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be preparing offers.

Josep Maria Minguella, the agent who helped to secure Messi's move to La Masia at the age of 13, previously indicated his belief that he will sign for Inter but says those remarks were misunderstood.

"My comments were misinterpreted," he told Tuttomercatoweb . "A few days ago, I simply said Inter is one of the options by virtue of the more advantageous tax system that exists in Italy.

"We also saw that with Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus two years ago... many champions are thinking of moving to Serie A nowadays.

"By the way, precisely because CR7 is already there, I don't think the Bianconeri are in the running [for Messi]."

When asked where he thinks the six-time Ballon d'Or winner will go, Minguella replied that he believes "there are many more chances Messi will stay at Barcelona until 2021", when his contract expires, rather than leave this year.

"Barca have already decided and I am convinced they will defend that choice until the end," he said.

"Leo has a contract and not even his own lawyers are sure he can move without paying that famous €700million release clause."

Minguella said Messi's attempts to quit the club are "surprising and unexpected" but added: "My long experience in the world of football has taught me that anything can always happen, absolutely anything.

"Cristiano Ronaldo's move from Real Madrid to Juventus was just the most recent example. In the football system, nothing is impossible."

Chidera Ejuke has expressed his delight after completing his move to Russian Premier League side CSKA Moscow from Heerenveen.

The Nigerian forward sealed a four-year contract with the Red and Blues on Friday to end transfer speculation surrounding him.

The winger made an impressive contribution during his one-year stay with the Super Frisians, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 25 league appearances.

His eye-catching performances helped the Abe Lenstra Stadium outfit finish 10th in the Dutch Eredivisie in the last campaign.

Ejuke now joins the likes of Ahmed Musa, Chidi Odiah and Aaron Samuel among the Nigerian players who have featured for CSKA.

The 22-year-old has taken to social media to share his feelings following his successful transfer to the Red and Blues.

CSKA Moscow finished fourth in the Russian Premier League last season and have recruited the winger in an effort to strengthen the squad for the 2020-21 campaign.  

Ejuke started his career from his country, Nigeria, with Supreme Court FC youth teams before joining Gombe United in 2016.

The forward moved abroad in 2017, signing for Norwegian club Valerenga and scored 13 goals in 59 games for the side during his two-year stay.

Ejuke then teamed up with Dutch side Heerenveen last summer. The forward has featured for Nigeria's U17 and U20 sides and will hope to impress with CSKA for a chance to get a call-up to the Super Eagles.

Ejuke could make his debut for his new club when they take on Spartak Moscow in a Premier League game on September 12.

Tony Pulis believes that Lionel Messi would have no problems coping on a wet Tuesday at Stoke, with the former Potters manager responding to rumours that the Barcelona star could switch to Manchester City this summer.

Messi has handed in a transfer request at Camp Nou and is set for a wrangle with the Catalan club as he believes that he could depart immediately for free while Barca are insistent he still has a year to run on his contract.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has been criticised in the past for not having played outside of Spain, with former Sky Sports commentator Andy Gray having suggested that Barcelona would have a hard time facing Stoke.

The analyst said: “I don’t know if Barcelona have ever gone to a place like the Britannia Stadium and suffered the kind of onslaught from Tony Pulis’ team of long throws and free-kicks or been up to a place like Blackburn and been beaten up by their long ball into the box.”

That metamorphosed into the infamous ‘wet and windy Tuesday at Stoke’ claims that Messi is still faced with in the UK.

Pulis, though, believes the Argentine would handle himself just fine.

Writing for The Times, he said: “People are now asking how Lionel Messi might get on if he had to play at Stoke on a wet, windy Tuesday night. Or some of the slightly less glamorous Premier League grounds if he does sign for Manchester City.

“I think he would be amazing. He is blessed with amazing skill, of course. I always remember sitting with my son, Anthony, at Arsenal one night and watching Barcelona during the warm-up. Messi launched this ball miles into the air and then killed it dead with his foot when it came back down. Anthony and I just looked at each other. Normal human beings aren’t capable of doing that.

“But people forget just how robust Messi is. He is tough, strong, he tracks back for his team when necessary, and no matter what the situation he will create opportunities either for himself or his team-mates.”

The Welshman also considered how he might be stopped – and he believes a team approach would be necessary.

“Quite how rival managers in the Premier League would deal with him is up to them,” he said. “I have never made a special case for certain players, even when coming up against individuals of the quality of someone like Cristiano Ronaldo.

“There is no point going man-to-man with a player of Messi’s ability. He is so clever he would drag your player all over the pitch and still find a way to destroy you, probably exploiting the hole you’ve left by assigning someone to that role.

“The more sensible approach is to defend tighter and narrower, and try to play with discipline, because Messi will be in a team that poses a threat in plenty of other areas too. It’s no good focusing on Messi when City could also have Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero on the pitch.”

Manchester City finished second in the Premier League last term and start the new season on September 21 away to Wolves.

Friday saw the Malaysia Super League returning in full swing with action from three venues across the country, the first time this has happened since late March. Catch the highlights of all the matches below.

Pahang 2-3 Johor Darul Ta'zim

JDT raced to an early 3-goal led but Pahang forced a mini comeback only to fall short at the end.

Perak 0-1 Melaka

Perak's hope of making a real title challenge stuttered in the very first match of the return to action, succumbing at home to a Ferris Danial strike.

Felda United 0-1 UiTM FC

Mark Hartmann capped a wonderful away trip for the university side as he scored the all-important winner at Tun Abdul Razak Stadium.

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) outfit Sofapaka have denied they are in the race to sign ex-Gor Mahia midfielder Tobias Otieno.

The 21-year-old left K’Ogalo to sign for US third-tier team Union Omaha in February, but the player is yet to link up with the team.

His presence in Kenya despite signing for the USA-based club has left social media reports linking him with a move to Sofapaka in the on-going transfer window.

However, Sofapaka President Elly Kalekwa has denied knowledge of the player by saying: “I don’t even know him and we are not interested.”

“I don’t know the player you are talking about,” Kalekwa told Goal on Saturday when asked if the club is going for Otieno’s signature. “I don’t even know him; which team does he play for? Kalekwa posed.

“We have a list of players we are engaging and he is not one of them, I have already signed three players and we will be completing the list soon with two foreign signings, I cannot give you the names, just wait, it will not take time, soon we will unveil them to complete our transfer activities.”

The 2009 league champions have already signed three players – Michael Bodo arriving from Kariobangi Sharks and goalkeeper Kevin Omondi and midfielder Roy Okal from Wazito FC and Mathare United respectively.

Omondi, who had a promising outing with relegated Sony Sugar in the 2018/19 season, did not settle at his immediate former club Wazito FC.

Omondi was among the players who were signed by Wazito but they did not make much of an impact for a side that was looking for instant dominance in the KPL after winning the National Super League (NSL) title before.

The goalkeeper was among another 12 players released by Wazito ahead of the upcoming season but he has now found himself a new home in the top-tier.

His arrival at Batoto ba Mungu means he will fight for first-team chances with Richard Aimo, who previously played for Chemelil Sugar and Isaiah Wakasala.

He is also a direct replacement for Ugandan goalkeeper Nicholas Ssebwato who left Sofapaka after his half-a-season contract ended and was not renewed.

Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley has explained why he did not take a knee during the Canadian national anthem along with his fellow players on Friday.

Prior to the club’s clash with the Montreal Impact in MLS, the 21 other players kneeled as the music played, yet Bradley maintained his standing position.

He subsequently revealed that he took this stance after careful thought – and certainly not because he does not support the cause of equality that it represents.

Speaking after the 1-0 victory, he said: “It’s obviously something that I’ve thought a lot about. I could talk about myself and give you some of my thought process, but it’s not about me. Thirty seconds talking about myself is 30 seconds we should be talking about the real issues. 

“The conversation and the rhetoric that has been created around the decision for people to peacefully protest by kneeling, it’s designed by the people that don’t want change, to take away from the real conversation that we all need to be having every single day.

“That’s what they want. They want this divisive, hateful rhetoric, conversation where there is no nuance, there is no middle ground. So for me, I will always be a strong voice for racial equality and I will continue to try to do everything I can to use the platform that I have to talk about things I believe are important. 

“When you look at our society right now, it’s heart-breaking to see the systemic racism that still exists after hundreds of years. The social injustice. The police brutality. It all has to end.”

Sport around the world, though primarily in North America, was affected by a walkout of players after NBA franchise Milwaukee Bucks refused to play in protest at the shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times by police in Wisconsin on Sunday.

The NBA will resume on Saturday after three days without action, while play was also stopped at tennis’ Western & Southern Open, being held in New York, on Thursday following the decision of former WTA World No.1 Naomi Osaka not to play her slated women’s semi-final with Elise Mertens.

Five MLS fixtures were postponed on Wednesday as a result of the protests, with the Players’ Association offering their support to the NBA players by tweeting: “We stand with you. #JusticeForJacobBlake”.