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Argentine football begins its program for 2021 with the playing of the Copa Liga Profesional.

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

Boca was crowned 2019-20 league champions in March after coming out on top during the 23-game season, and also triumphed in the following Copa Diego Armando Maradona, which ended in January. 

In lieu of beginning a new league season, the Argentine footballing authorities have instead sanctioned another cup competition, which will run from February to May.

The 26 Primera Division clubs have been split into two groups, with each side playing each other once. 

In addition there will be one inter-zonal game every week, where Boca and River, Racing Club and Independiente and the rest of Argentina's Clasico rivals will face off in a series of clashes. 

The top four teams from each group then advance to a play-off stage, which will take place in a straight knock-out format in order to yield a single winner.

Fanatiz has the rights to the Copa de la Liga Profesional worldwide, excluding Argentina, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Israel, Russia, Sweden and the Balkans.

How to watch Boca Juniors vs Atletico Tucuman

Boca performed a clean sweep in domestic competition over 2020 with league and cup wins, and once more start out as one of the favourites in this new tournament. 

That success, though, was overshadowed by a disappointing exit from the Copa Libertadores at the hands of Santos, extending the club's drought to 14 years. 

The pressure is on to perform at continental level, but Boca, who currently sit outside the play-offs in the Group 2 standings following last week's shock defeat to Union, will also be expected to reach the latter stages of this Copa as a bare minimum. 

After losing club favourite Ricardo Zielinski to Estudiantes in the off-season, Atletico Tucuman endured a poor start to the 2021 Copa. 

Results have picked up as of late, though, with Monday's win over Velez Sarsfield taking the Decano to two victories in their last three outings; while they were unlucky to go down narrowly to River Plate.

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Boca Juniors vs Atletico Tucuman team news

Cristian Pavon's hopes of returning to the field for Boca after injury have been thwarted as the ex-LA Galaxy must isolate following close contact with a coronavirus case.

With a full-strength squad to pick from Atletico boss Omar de Felippe is likely to stick to largely the same side that triumphed over Velez Sarsfield in the last round.

Watch all this weekend's Copa Liga Profesional matches on Fanatiz  with a 7-day free trial.

What other Copa Liga Profesional matches are available on Fanatiz?

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

Mason Greenwood ending a 15-game goal drought and silencing his critics in the process came as no surprise to Dwight McNeil, with the Burnley winger a big fan of a teenage forward that he once worked alongside at Manchester United.

The 21-year-old Clarets winger spent time within the academy system at Old Trafford before heading to Turf Moor in 2014, allowing him to team up with some hot prospects.

Greenwood was emerging through the ranks at that stage, as his progress was accelerated by United, and he has rediscovered a spark on a senior stage of late after previously going two months without finding the target.

What has been said?

McNeil, who is set to be reunited with Greenwood when Burnley face United on Sunday, never doubted that his former colleague would come good, telling the Daily Mail of a highly rated forward who boasts three goals in his last five appearances: "Mason was always a very good player. He was younger than me but he played up with us in our age group.

"He was always good with both feet and you could tell with Mason at a young age that he would make it.

"I know him personally and he’s a good man. It’s great that we’ve both achieved our dream to play in the Premier League and obviously Mason is doing so well at United and I’m happy for him.

"He’s had some criticism but I know what kind of guy he is. He’s a good guy and he’s come back scoring goals again.

"Sometimes I see him face to face on the odd occasion. But it’s mainly on social media I speak to him.

The bigger picture

Greenwood has found himself on a steep learning curve at Old Trafford, with criticism inevitable once any dip in high standards and expectations was endured.

He has handled himself well, with detractors being silenced at present, and is expected to be a key man for club and country in the years to come.

McNeil is looking to tread a similar path, having recently reached 100 appearances for Burnley, and believes severing ties with United has worked in his favour.

The England U21 international, who has sparked plenty of transfer talk in recent windows, added: "I look back now at being released by United and I wouldn’t have thought back then that I would eventually have all this experience under my belt by this age.

"It’s a credit to the staff who believe in me here and keep playing me. It means a lot to me and my family. To be only 21 and be making my 100th appearance for the club that was always a special one is important.

"Leaving United just gave me that desire and determination to become a professional footballer in the Premier League, Championship, League One or League Two,’ he said.

"It made me focused on becoming a professional footballer. Hopefully looking back on it, I’ve proved some people wrong."

Further reading

Kevin De Bruyne has handed quadruple-chasing Manchester City an untimely injury headache, with the Belgium international forced from the field during a FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea.

There were less than three minutes of the second-half on the clock at Wembley Stadium when a potentially match-winning presence was removed from proceedings.

Pep Guardiola was forced to tinker with his plans as a result, with Phil Foden introduced in place of a talismanic presence that City will be hoping for a positive medical update on.

What happened to De Bruyne?

There appeared to be little in the tussle between De Bruyne and N'Golo Kante that led to the former seeing his afternoon cut short.

The City midfielder was heading towards the touchline with a France international at his back.

De Bruyne sought to fend off the attention of Kante, planting his right foot into the turf as he tried to keep a rival at arm's length.

The 29-year-old did not appear to roll his ankle, but was clearly in discomfort.

De Bruyne was unable to continue as he took to sitting on the Wembley turf, with Guardiola having to introduce Foden as a result.

Within seven minutes of the Belgian being replaced, Hakim Ziyech had opened the scoring for Chelsea and put them in control of a heavyweight contest.

The bigger picture

The big games keep on coming for Premier League leaders City at the business end of their 2020-21 campaign.

They will be desperate to have De Bruyne at their disposal for as many of their remaining fixtures as possible.

Guardiola still has his side in the hunt for a domestic crown, Carabao Cup success and a Champions League triumph.

Further reading

Arsenal have confirmed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Martin Odegaard are both out for Sunday's Premier League match against Fulham.

Aubameyang is continuing to recover from Malaria, while Odegaard is working his way back from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since early April.

The Gunners also provided updates on injured defensive duo David Luiz and Kieran Tierney, who are hoping to return before the end of the season.

What was said?

"Auba continues to recover after contracting malaria on international duty," Arsenal's official website said on Aubameyang.

"Auba will be unavailable for Sunday’s match and will continue to be supported and assessed by the medical team in the coming days."

On Odegaard the club added: "Right ankle. Martin will be unavailable for Sunday’s match against Fulham, but is hoping to be back in light training next week."

"Kieran sustained ligament damage to his left knee during the match against Liverpool on 3 April," the Gunners said on the left-back.

"Kieran is currently rehabilitating with the medical team and is hoping to be back in full training within three to four weeks."

Finally, on Luiz, the Gunners said: "David is recovering well after the successful small procedure on his right knee and is rehabilitating with the medical team.

"David has started to run, is progressing well and continues to aim to be available in the next few weeks."

The bigger picture

Arsenal are facing an uphill battle to qualify for Europe next season via the Premier League, currently sitting nine points behind fifth-place Chelsea.

The Gunners' most likely path to European football next season is through the Europa League, where they've reached the last four. 

Arsenal will hope all of their top performers will be fit for their first leg against Villarreal on April 29.

The second leg against former boss Unai Emery's side is set for May 6.

Further reading

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that Manchester United's coaching staff often get decisions intentionally wrong during training in order to steel the group's response to such calls going against them on matchday.

The former Red Devils striker made the admission in the wake of his side's 3-1 victory over Tottenham and former boss Jose Mourinho in the Premier League last weekend, when Edinson Cavani saw a would-be opener chalked off for a controversial incident in the build-up involving Scott McTominay and Son Heung-min.

United went on to rally from the frustration of the call and Son's subsequent strike, with Cavani finding the net in-between finishes for Fred and Mason Greenwood, and their manager has now opened up on how he prepares his team to overcome such calls.

What did Solskjaer say?

"Everybody knows that this group of players has so much footballing talent, but last weekend they really showed us what their mentality is all about," the Nowegian wrote in United Review ahead of his side's clash with Burnley at Old Trafford on Sunday.

"It would have been so easy to lose focus after having a brilliant goal from Edi disallowed, especially when we then fell behind so quickly, but the lads regrouped, kept calm and really showed their character by dominating the second half.

"How you react when decisions don't go your way is a test that is just part of football. We've frequently made deliberately bad refereeing decisions during training in order to remind the players that these things happen.

"Sometimes we do honestly get them wrong anyway, so we know what a hard job it is. I was really pleased to see them coming together in the face of adversity and reacting the right way."

Man Utd's prospects examined

Victory over Tottenham further increased the Red Devils' standing as the best of the rest behind runaway league leaders Manchester City, but the lack of silverware under Solskjaer remains a sticking point despite obvious improvements in team unity and form.

With all domestic chances for a trophy effectively concluded for the campaign, hopes now rest on success in the Europa League, with United looking to turn the frustration of their Champions League exit into a European honour they won under Mourinho before the Norwegian arrived.

To reach the final, they'll have to overcome Serie A side Roma however, who pose a greater threat than what Granada did in the quarter-finals.

Further reading

Pau Torres has reacted to the speculation suggesting that he is a transfer target for the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid by saying that he remains "very calm" at home-town club Villarreal.

The highly-rated centre-half is said to be registering on the recruitment radars of leading sides across Europe heading towards the summer window.

The 24-year-old Spain international is aware of the interest he is attracting, but claims to be paying little attention to it as his focus remains locked on the present.

What has been said?

Torres has told El Transistor on the rumours he is generating: "I'm very calm, I have a contract with the club in my town and I'm enjoying it. 

"I have to work to help my team."

Why is Torres in demand?

A product of Villarreal's academy system has taken in 77 appearances for the Yellow Submarine.

A regular role has been enjoyed across the last two seasons, allowing seven international caps to be claimed.

His current ability and future potential is said to have been noted at Old Trafford and Santiago Bernabeu.

United are looking for another option to slot in alongside Harry Maguire, while Madrid want to find a long-term successor to club captain Sergio Ramos - who continues to run his contract down towards free agency.

The bigger picture

Torres will not allow himself to be distracted by exit talk, with there still plenty for him to play for in 2020-21.

Villarreal remain in the hunt for a top-five finish in La Liga and are also through to the semi-finals of the Europa League, where Unai Emery is set to come up against his former employers at Arsenal.

Torres said of that challenge: "Arsenal is a great team, it will be very difficult but I think we have a team to be up to the task and we will try to do our best. 

"I'm sure the coach will prepare the game perfectly."

Further reading

Patrick Vieira has revealed that he spoke to former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger upon his exit from Nice last year, with the ex-Gunners star revealing that his old coach gave him shrewd advice on his managerial future.

The 44-year-old was handed the reins of the Ligue 1 outfit in mid-2018 following two and a half successful years at the helm of New York City FC, and led them to a seventh-place finish in his first season in charge.

But a poor start to the 2020-21 campaign, compounded by an early Europa League exit, saw Vieira relieved of his duties in December, with the 44-year-old now opening the lid on his activities since and what he has taken on-board from countryman Wenger.

What has Vieira said?

"I had Arsene on the phone," Vieira revealed to L'Equipe. "One of the first sentences he said to me was: "You're never a real coach until you get fired."

"It was a very constructive discussion with Arsene - as it always is. When you get into this profession, you have to accept the idea that you will get fired at one point or another.

"I would have preferred it to have been a little later, but it happened, and what is important for me is that this experience has made me and will make me better as a coach. I am convinced this is what I was made for."

Vieira and Wenger's relationship

The midfielder first arrivated at the north London club as one of the first new signings amid the Gunners' transition to Wenger's leadership, with the former Nagoya Grampus Eight boss replacing Bruce Rioch at the helm.

The two shared a close bond throughout their time together at Highbury, with Vieira helping the club to a domestic double before winning the World Cup on home soil with France in 1998.

Another double followed before Vieira became the first non-British player to captain the club in 2002, guiding Arsenal to their famous Invincibles campaign a season later across the 2003-04 campaign.

Vieira on future

While the former midfielder is yet to return to management, he admits that he hopes to find a new club sooner rather than later, though he does not wish to rush into something that could be the wrong project for him simply to spite his former employers.

“When you look closely at my career, the choices I have always made are ones that I intend to last," he added. "I have a certainty about what I want to do and how good a coach I can be.

"Yes, there have been opportunities but I know now is not the time. Leaving immediately for a new side wouldn't have made sense. Seeking a feeling of revenge was not the right thing to do."

Further reading

Red-hot Crotone striker Simeon Nwankwo has equalled Yakubu Ayegbeni’s European league mark with his latest effort against Udinese.

The lanky forward was on target for the Black and Whites, albeit, the Pythagoreans lost 2-1 at home in an Italian elite division outing.

With the visitors leading thanks to Rodrigo De Paul’s 41st-minute effort at Stadio Ezio Scida, the Nigeria international levelled matters for his team via the penalty spot in the 68th minute.

Nonetheless, De Paul sealed victory for Luca Gotti’s side six minutes later before he was given his marching orders by the referee in the 90th minute.

Thanks to his effort, he now boasts 17 goals in the 2020-21 Serie A campaign. In the process equalling Ayegbeni’s mark to become Nigeria’s joint-top scorer in a single top-five European League campaign.

In a recent chat with Goal, ‘the Yak’ expressed his desire for the 28-year-old to overtake his benchmark.

“Records are always meant to be broken. I hope he breaks it and I wish him all the very best in his quest to do that. Also, I want to say well done to him for his goalscoring form this season,” Ayegbeni told Goal.

After completing his loan spell at Leicester City, ‘the Yak’ joined the Riversiders for an undisclosed fee. In his maiden season at Ewood Park, he became an instant hit – scoring 17 English top-flight goals in 30 appearances.

Should Nwankwo score at least one goal in his club’s remaining seven matches left, he will surely eclipse his compatriot’s mark that has stood for a decade.

Also, Nwankwo (on a stretch of seven goals) is now closing in on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s mark as the first African player to find the net in more consecutive matches in the top five European Leagues.

Aubameyang was the last player from Africa to achieve that – scoring in 10 games at a stretch during his time at German elite division outfit Borussia Dortmund in 2015.

Crotone’s 24th defeat of the ongoing term sees them remain at the base of the log after accruing just 15 points from 31 matches.

For their Nigerian import who is next to Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan) and Luis Muriel (Atalanta) on the topscorer’s chart, he would be hoping to continue his impressive goalscoring run against Sampdoria on April 21.

Swansea City manager Steve Cooper is sceptical about the availability of Andre Ayew for their next Championship fixture after the Ghana international went off early in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Wycombe Wanderers.

On his 41st league appearance of the season, the 31-year-old limped out of the matchday 42 home fixture in just the ninth minute after appearing to have hurt his hamstring.

Ayew's absence will be a big blow to Swansea in their quest for Premier League promotion, with four more rounds of matches to go in the regular season.

"With Andre, it’s too early to say,” Cooper said after Saturday's game, as reported by his club's official website.

“He has walked off with a hamstring, I haven’t seen him yet but we expect it will take about 24 to 48 hours to settle down and for us to know the extent of the injury.

“We don’t know yet, but you can’t walk off after eight minutes and play a few days later unless something extraordinary happens.

“I don’t want to speculate really, until it settles down and we get it scanned we won’t know the full extent of the injury.”

Ayew is Swansea's current top scorer this season, having recorded 15 goals so far. He also has four assists to his name.

Without the Ghanaian, third-placed Swansea almost suffered defeat on Saturday as they had to come back from two goals down to hold Wycombe.

Jamal Lowe and Liam Cullen scored in the last 10 minutes to bring the Jack Army level after going down by Admiral Muskwe and Garath McCleary's early second-half goals.

“In a way you are happy with the point, but disappointed not to have won. I think it was a missed opportunity for us,” said the coach.

“The objective today was to win, we are at home, we have played well in our previous two games. We knew they needed to win today too, and we felt there would be enough space and gaps for us to go and hurt them.

“Saying that, at 2-0 down the players showed a lot of heart, courage and good play to get back in the game, and we should not lose sight of that.

“In the end, it leaves you with mixed emotions. The result could have been worse, but we created enough chances to score more than two. We had enough chances to win the game.”

Swansea take on Queens Park Rangers in their next match on Tuesday.

Football Kenya Federation Premier League side AFC Leopards have incorporated Irene Kanani into their national executive committee.

Karani is returning to the local giants after she previously served as a national executive member between 2016 and 2019. She is now part of the club's top brass that consists of chairman Dan Shikanda, Oliver Shikuku, who is the secretary, treasurer Maurice Chichi and chief executive officer Victor Bwibo.

"[Irene] Karani has been co-opted into AFC Leopards national executive committee (NEC) as a committee member effective today [Saturday]," the club announced .

"Among other duties, Karani will be tasked with growing and maintaining the club’s membership as well as formulating strategies for fans and branches synergies.

"The appointment is central to a governance model that has seen the composition and remit of AFC Leopards’ NEC extended to deliver an even more modern, dynamic and streamlined governance structure as well as achieve the stipulated gender parity.  

 "Karani is an active member of the AFC Leopards Coast branch."  

Karani revealed what her expectations are as she joins AFC Leopards who were in good form when the 2020/21 FKF Premier League season was suspended in March.

"I am honoured and humbled to be called upon to serve this great club that I hold so dear to my heart. Coming into this position I look forward to working closely with the rest of the leadership in guiding this club as we reclaim our rightful place,” she said.

Recently, the Premier League side announced the renewal of membership status for stakeholders.

The concerned parties had been given until the end of March to renew their membership and make the accompanying payments.

The members were given a grace period of 15 days after the March 31 deadline and failure to renew would have led to their deletion from the membership roll.

The club members have been an integral part of AFC Leopards as they have been contributing towards the financial well-being of the former Premier League champions.

Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho has disclosed how he came about the curious nickname ‘senior man’.

The Nigeria international has been in fine form for his Premier League outfit, scoring nine goals in his last six games matches in all competitions.

However, what remained a mystery was his newfound name that resonates from the King Power Stadium, the Super Eagles, down to his teeming supporters.

The 24-year-old was quick to explain how the nickname came about and his reaction to it.

“It’s what players from Nigeria who play in Europe are called when they come back to the country,” Iheanacho told the Guardian.

“It’s a lot in the country now. People don’t really call me by my name anymore – it’s like they have forgotten it. People just call me Senior Man. Even older people; it’s quite funny.”

Before Iheanacho’s arrival at Leicester City, Jamie Vardy was the man to look to for goals, and that limited the African’s chances of playing.

However, a change in formation by Rodgers has him play alongside the former England international. That has left the former Citizen in awe of the Foxes’ legend.

“Jamie is the best partner you could want as a striker,” he continued.

“He is really nice and has been since I came to this club. He is really funny and cracks people up. He takes that into the game and helps his mates out.

“Jamie is one man who is a team player and he is not selfish at all. He looks out for his mates.”

He also recalled his first days in England and how he wanted to return to Nigeria because of the freezing weather.

“It wasn’t easy for me when I first came; I wanted to go back to my country at some point because it was too cold,” the 2013 U17 World Cup Golden boot winner recalled.

“They told me: ‘They have signed you now so you have to stay.’ I remember my first training with the coaches at Manchester. It was February and it was so cold.

“It was the first time my dad had been out in cold weather. He wanted to watch me train but after 10 minutes I couldn’t see him. He had gone inside. That was in 2014.

“He never came to another game. I am not being funny but he has not been back to England.”

Ferland Mendy has handed Real Madrid another injury headache, with the French left-back now doubtful for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash with Chelsea after picking up a calf complaint.

Zinedine Zidane has seen his star-studded squad ravaged by fitness setbacks in the 2020-21 campaign, with his defensive unit being hit particularly hard.

Mendy has now added to those concerns, with the 25-year-old expected to be sidelined for around 10 days with an untimely knock - offering him a race against time to make a home date with Chelsea on April 27.

What has been said?

Real have posted on their official website: "Following the tests carried out today on our player Ferland Mendy by the Real Madrid medical department, he has been diagnosed with an overload to the soleus muscle in his left leg. 

"His recovery will be monitored."

Who else has been missing for Madrid?

Real booked a last-four showdown with Premier League heavyweights Chelsea after edging out another English opponent in the form of Liverpool.

Zidane's side secured a 3-1 aggregate success in that contest, with a notable scalp claimed by a team that was forced to field a makeshift back line.

Sergio Ramos finds himself back in the treatment room, while Raphael Varane has been ruled out after contracting Covid-19.

Dani Carvajal is another long-term injury victim, with Lucas Vazquez now out for the rest of the season after suffering knee ligament damage while providing cover at right-back.

Eder Militao, Nacho and Fede Valverde helped to secure a clean sheet at Anfield last time out, with Mendy the only established option in that unit.

How many games could Mendy miss?

The France international has now joined Ramos and Co on the sidelines, with some big games approaching for Real.

Zidane's side are in La Liga title contention, while also chasing down European glory, and are determined to end the season with a flourish.

Mendy will be missing for the start of that run, which starts with a short trip to Getafe on Sunday. They will be at Cadiz on Wednesday, before returning to home soil against Real Betis.

Chelsea are then due to pay a visit to Spain, with the two legs of that heavyweight clash sandwiching a domestic meeting with Osasuna.

Further reading

Swansea City deputy skipper Andre Ayew was hauled off after just nine minutes as they played out a 2-2 draw against Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Championship on Saturday.

Coming into the matchday 42 fixture as his club's leading scorer, the Ghana international saw nothing but disappointment at Liberty Stadium as he had to take an early shower following an injury.

He was replaced by Wayne Routledge and it remains to be seen the severity of the blow.

With just four rounds of matches to the end of the regular season, a considerable layoff will force the 31-year-old out for the rest of the campaign.

It will be a massive blow for the Jack Army, who are chasing promotion back to the Premier League for the first time following their relegation in 2018.

The club are currently third on the league standings and look likely to use the playoff route as their possible way back into the elite division. 

Ayew has so far featured in all but one of Swansea's 42 matches played, scoring 15 goals and providing four assists.

His goal haul equals his tally reached last season, where he was adjudged the club's most valuable player at the end of the term, in addition to finishing as their top scorer.

“We know he has the ability, he can be as good as anyone in the league and he can play at a higher level. But the fact he is showing the commitment and work-rate he is, means it is rubbing off on everybody. It is certainly motivating me to see a player so committed to what we are doing,’ Swansea boss Steve Cooper recently said of the Ghanaian.

“He is in a good place, he is in good form and when you see that last night, when he plays like a player who is really enjoying what we are doing and desperate to help us pick up more points."

Ghana will be keeping a keen eye on Ayew’s situation as next month, head coach CK Akonnor will be naming his squad for a 2022 World Cup qualifying matches against Ethiopia and South Africa.

In his last three games for the Black Stars, the attacker registered four goals, highlighting his importance in the Ghana set-up.

As part of an exclusive series, Goal in collaboration with Manchester City and TECNO are in conversation with Man City legends Shaun Goater and Richard Dunne.

In the third episode of this series, the duo sat down with Chukwu Bethel Harmless, Goal Africa’s Trainee Manchester City correspondent.

Some quick-fire questions on their relationship with their phones saw some interesting answers from Dunne and Goater. Dunne noted that he hardly spent time on the phone while Goater is the direct opposite.

According to Goater, "My house and my phone, I'm like transfer deadline, I'm always beside this [his phone], trying to read things that happened!"

When asked about the App they use the most, they both voted a tie between WhatsApp and Facetime. The appeal of the two apps was clear - staying in touch with family and friends. Neither legend was particularly conversant in emoji-speak but Goater admitted using the laughing emoji the most, while Dunne is more circumspect and uses the Thumbs Up emoji to cover a range of responses from "Okay, Thanks, See you later and everything."

And for their most listened to songs, Dunne surprised us with his softer side with The Johnson Family song ‘Forever’ but Goater was right up with contemporary trends with ‘What you know about love’ by Pop Smoke!

Both guys struggled to find the most famous footballer in their contact list, and eventually had to settle on each other!

We wrapped up the interview by asking them to pick the one person in the world they would love to take a selfie with which didn’t appeal to Dunne, but Goater didn’t hesitate - City Manager Pep Guardiola with the Premier League trophy was his choice.

Once we’d got Goater onto the idea of a selfie, he insisted on taking one with everyone on the call.

Youssoufa Moukoko and Gio Reyna are warming up to try their hands at FIFA. Whereas Jude Bellingham lazily waits for his turn on the sofa in the living room of his house in Dortmund. This is one of the many sessions that these three spend together when they are not dribbling past defenders or scoring goals in the black and yellow jersey.

"5-3, finished," Reyna exclaims after beating his teammate.

"Huh? I let you win man," retorted Moukoko.

And we get a glimpse of the secret behind their brilliant chemistry that we often witness on the pitch.

Bellingham's mother Denise Bellingham has flown from England to settle in Germany. At just 17, in his debut season at Dortmund, he has made 23 appearances and has 1251 minutes under his belt. This can be taxing for any youngster and the presence of his mother is a welcome relief for him.

"I couldn’t be more grateful of her. She does everything for me and I couldn’t thank her enough for everything she does," Jude stated during an exclusive interview with DAZN.

The Bellingham family could gauge from a very early age that the teen sensation is destined for big things in life. Hence the transition from England to Germany did not rattle them at all. Instead, she wants to be there all the time beside her son so that when the going gets tough, she can at least keep an arm around her child.

"I feel nervous for him because you know what the press can be like, you know what the public can be like. When everything's going great, it's great, but it's when it's not going great. So yes, I'm always worried about it. And I think that's just natural as a parent. That’s what you do," expressed Denise.

Jude has a brother, Jobe, who is also creating ripples in Birmingham with his football skills. Staying away from him for long periods is undoubtedly tough but he is ready to make these sacrifices to be counted amongst the best in the world.

"He's come incredibly far for his age, incredibly far. He knows what he wants, has a clear idea of how he wants to perform, wants to improve every day. He’s also one of the players who come to me of their own accord and ask for video analysis or ask about the last game and if we can analyse it again, or whether I’ve analysed it, to show him what he’s done well and where he can improve," stated Otto Addo, the assistant coach of BVB.

Meanwhile, Moukoko had to migrate from Cameroon at a very early age. At 10, he flew to Germany and started living with his father in Hamburg. He went on with a pair of sneakers on his first day at the St. Pauli academy where he got enrolled and he knows things are only going to get tougher as you progress from the developmental teams to the senior teams.

"Everyone has to have their own experiences. When you get to the top, you have to get in line, because things don't always go the way you want them to. You have to work your way up. It's a bit difficult because when you were young you always played, and then you move up and you don't play as often. That is difficult," observed the teenage sensation.

Whereas, Reyna finds himself in another unique situation. His father Claudio Reyna was a midfielder and had an illustrious career featuring for Bayer Leverkusen, VFL Wolfsburg and the likes of Manchester City and Sunderland. Whereas, his mother Danielle Egan has six appearances for the United States women’s national team. But unlike Moukoko and Bellingham, he has to stay alone in Germany, which sometimes takes a toll on the young footballer.

"I've been alone for almost six weeks now. Yes, it is tough. I think you can ask the other young guys, I mean, Jude has his mom here, so it's a little bit different, but I think I'm one of the only ones that's fully alone," stated Reyna.

Hence BVB has got on board a sports psychologist in Phillip Laux, who helps these youngsters get through these difficult phases.

"When a career like this starts and goes well, they often don't have time to reflect. The games come quickly, the rest periods, when they become international players, are very short. There is no time to reflect. Then there are two weeks of vacation and the whole thing starts all over again.

"Phases like that, when things are going less well, when the career hits a rough patch, actually give you the opportunity to reflect, to process a few things. (Like) What has happened so far? How did my personality develop? What is important for my next career step?" explained Laux, who has been working closely with Reyna since he joined BVB.

Reyna's friendship with Bellingham goes an extra mile because both of them are English speaking. Although on the pitch, the language of football takes over, beyond the 90 minutes, one has to concur that linguistic homogeneity makes you feel closer to home.

"When I first came to the club, he was probably the first one to put his arm around me and look after me. When I got here, obviously English speaking, similar age and you know, he was just a really calm person to be around. He's so humble and he's so down to earth and you know, he's a really good guy to be around and he's the kind of character that you want in your team," said Bellingham about his friendship with Reyna.

Addo feels that the young-trio of BVB are hitting the right chords and does not get disappointed even if they make mistakes in this learning curve. The plan has always been to let them express themselves on the pitch and to keep doing the right things even after stumbling and falling down. Along with him, Sebastian Geppert has also been promoted as the first team assistant coach from the developmental set up so that these players continue to work around familiar faces.

He has been with Moukoko from his very first days in Dortmund and when the teenager debuted in Bundesliga as the youngest player, he was ecstatic. However, to celebrate his first goal from the bench was definitely more special.

"I’m glad Geppi is here. We know each other very well. He was like a father figure, in the youth system as well. It was like father and son between us and it still is," said Moukoko about Geppert.

The youngster exploded in the youth football scene in Germany, bragging of numbers unheard till now. He has been on song in the developmental stages but playing in the senior team requires a clearer head and a bit more patience.

"As few losses of possession as possible. He had a tad too many in his appearances and in training too. Especially in situations where we’re getting set for pressing, for example, he wants to do it right away. We want to win the ball and maybe he has to wait for the right moment, so he probably has to learn this patience a little more, the right signs, the right moments" assessed Geppert.

The teen-triumvirate knows that they are a volcano of talent which can burn down any opposition on their day. With time on their side, they can have the world at their feet within the next couple of seasons, given that they keep their head down and continue working the same way.

What do you want to achieve? We asked.

"Everything," Moukoko replied within a blink of an eye. 

A few things seldom change. Moukoko and his ambition to be the greatest is one of them.

As part of an exclusive series, Goal in collaboration with Manchester City and TECNO are in conversation with Man City legends Shaun Goater and Richard Dunne.

In the third episode of this series, the duo sat down with Chukwu Bethel Harmless, Goal Africa’s Trainee Manchester City correspondent.

Some quick-fire questions on their relationship with their phones saw some interesting answers from Dunne and Goater. Dunne noted that he hardly spent time on the phone while Goater is the direct opposite.

According to Goater, "My house and my phone, I'm like transfer deadline, I'm always beside this [his phone], trying to read things that happened!"

When asked about the App they use the most, they both voted a tie between WhatsApp and Facetime. The appeal of the two apps was clear - staying in touch with family and friends. Neither legend was particularly conversant in emoji-speak but Goater admitted using the laughing emoji the most, while Dunne is more circumspect and uses the Thumbs Up emoji to cover a range of responses from "Okay, Thanks, See you later and everything."

And for their most listened to songs, Dunne surprised us with his softer side with The Johnson Family song ‘Forever’ but Goater was right up with contemporary trends with ‘What you know about love’ by Pop Smoke!

Both guys struggled to find the most famous footballer in their contact list, and eventually had to settle on each other!

We wrapped up the interview by asking them to pick the one person in the world they would love to take a selfie with which didn’t appeal to Dunne, but Goater didn’t hesitate - City Manager Pep Guardiola with the Premier League trophy was his choice.

Once we’d got Goater onto the idea of a selfie, he insisted on taking one with everyone on the call.