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James Igbekeme’s Real Zaragoza will compete for a place to secure LaLiga promotion after defeating SD Ponferradina 2-1 in the Spanish second tier’s last game of the season.

Goals from Miguel Linares and Alex Blanco sealed all points at stake for the Zaragozans – rendering Ivan Rodriguez’s strike to mere consolation.

After a keenly contested opening 30 minutes at La Romareda, Linares gave Víctor Fernandez’s men the lead after firing from rebound goalkeeper Manu Garcia’s rebound from Alex Blanco’s left-footed strike.

Ponferradina levelled matters five minutes into the second-half after Asier Benito’s cross from the left was headed at the far post by Rodriguez.

Despite the goal, the hosts continued to dominate possession. Their dominance paid off Blanco after drilling home a pass from Dani Torres.

25-year-old Igbekeme who has featured 26 times this season with a goal to his credit was not listed for the encounter as well as Moroccan defender Jawad El Yamiq, who is on loan from Italian topflight side Genoa.

Thanks to the result, Zaragoza finished the league with 65 points from 42 games behind winners Huesca and Cadiz who secured automatic tickets to the Spanish elite division.

Meanwhile, manager Victor Fernandez is now looking forward to the play-offs where his team will battle Almeria, Girona and Elche for a ticket to LaLiga.

“We have done our job, which was to win. Today we needed to do it and it has been a tremendous boost in morale. What happened in the locker room after the game ended was very important. We have recovered the smile and we have accompanied that with a triumph,” Fernandez said after the game as reported by club website.

“At least we are going to compete with more players and more weapons. The sooner we know the rival the better;  it is important to plan the match and face those finals with the maximum guarantees.

“I continue to say that the house is in order and things are in place. We will not give up and we will continue fighting until the last moment. Now the scene changes, nobody believes in us and we will see what the playing field dictates. Let's get ready.

“The most important thing is the confidence that this triumph gives us and how they have embraced each other."

Liverpool have announced a three-year partnership with the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and Economic Development Board as their tourism and economic development partner.

The Reds disclosed the agreement on Monday as they aim to help the island nation boost their drive in becoming a leading global tourist destination and business hub of Africa.

A year ago, Liverpool who are the 2019-20 Premier League champions opened an international academy in Mauritius and Chief Commercial Officer of the club, Billy Hogan is thrilled with the continuous relationship between both parties.

“This is an exciting partnership and we’re delighted to build on our existing relationship with Mauritius following the opening of the LFC International Academy on the island in July 2019,” Hogan told the club website.

“We have a large, passionate fan base in Mauritius, and we’re pleased to be able to bring our supporters closer to the club through this partnership.

“We look forward to working with Mauritius Tourism and its Economic Development Board to support their ambition to further establish the country as a leading tourist destination and economic forum.”

Earlier this year, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth visited Anfield and he is pleased by the partnership with the Reds who share common values with the country.

“Mauritius is proud to be an official partner of Liverpool Football Club, a global football elite [club] and the Premier League champions,” Jugnauth said.

“We both share common values of dedication, determination and unity. This collaboration aims at strengthening and propelling Mauritius as a thriving economic powerhouse and a world-class tourism destination.”

Mauritius are the second African country to partner a Premier League club for tourism promotions after Rwanda’s relationship with Arsenal through its Visit Rwanda initiative.

Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly has assured fans that his head injury sustained in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea was not as bad as first feared, with the defender describing it as "just a scare".

The Ivory Coast international was taken to hospital after a clash of heads with back-line partner Harry Maguire near the end of the first half at Wembley, with the Blues eventually running out 3-1 winners.

Having initially returned to his feet, he subsequently had to be loaded onto a stretcher and receive oxygen after having already removed himself to the sidelines, sparking fears that his condition may have been worse than initial appearances suggested.

In his absence, United saw their 19-game unbeaten streak come to an end as Frank Lampard's side marched on to the final with Arsenal.

Now, a day on from the match, Bailly has taken to social media to appease concerns that he is set to for a lengthy lay-off, while passing on his gratitude for the support he has received.

"Thank you for all the messages of support," the 26-year-old wrote on Twitter. "I am OK, it was just a scare. I feel the pain of yesterday's defeat even more.

"But we have to get back up and refocus on the two big games we have this week."

United's exit from the FA Cup – having fielded a side that suggested manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been told to focus on their top-four aspirations over domestic silverware – mean they now have only the Europa League left in terms of knock-out competition.

They will face LASK in the second leg of their round-of-16 tie next month, with a 5-0 advantage from the first tie, with the Red Devils expected to face little difficulty in progressing to the quarter-finals in Lisbon.

Before then, however, Solskjaer will look to get his side back to winning ways as they aim to secure Champions League football next term, with an encounter against former Red Devils boss David Moyes next up with the visit of West Ham.

They will then take in a key encounter with fellow top-four hopefuls Leicester City to conclude the current Premier League campaign.

John Terry is "fully focused" on the task at hand as assistant manager of Aston Villa, according to Dean Smith, as speculation continues to link the former Chelsea star with the vacancy at Bristol City.

The ex-England defender finished his playing career at Villa Park before subsequently making a return to the Midlands to take up the job of Smith's second-in-command almost two years ago in October 2018.

Since then, he's helped the club seal a return to the Premier League in his first season in the dugout, and his credentials have now seen him linked with a trip south to take the reins of the Robins.

Bristol parted ways with Lee Johnson earlier this month after the club fell short of their Championship play-off target, and Terry has emerged as a potential frontrunner for the gig.

Smith, however, remains calm amid talk of his number two bidding farewell and insists that the 39-year-old remains committed to his role.

"I answered this a couple of weeks ago," the Villa boss told the media.

"I spoke to JT about the Bristol City link and he said no. He's fully focused on the job here. We've got a good working relationship – and a good relationship away from work as well.  

"He's fully focused on Aston Villa and we really enjoy working together."

Villa themselves are currently fighting for Premier League survival and sit in 18th, three points behind Watford as they look to make a last-gasp bid for survival.

They face two do-or-die games over the coming week, starting with the visit of FA Cup finalists Arsenal before they face off against West Ham to conclude their campaign.

Bristol were previously linked with Rangers boss and Terry's former England team-mate Steven Gerrard, though the ex-Liverpool man is no longer the favourite for the position, while former Brighton supremo Chris Hughton is one of the other names that has cropped up.

Danny Cowley, recently relieved of duties in charge of relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town, is another viable candidate for the Robins as they look to bounce back from what has ultimately been a frustrating campaign.

Watford captain Troy Deeney has denied rumours that he will be involved in selecting the Hornets' team for Tuesday's encounter with Manchester City following Nigel Pearson's sacking, with the 32-year-old rubbishing reports of a fight in the changing rooms during half-time in their defeat to West Ham on Friday.

The Premier League outfit relieved coach Pearson of his duties on Sunday, with Hayden Mullins handed the reins for the club's final two games of the season as they bid to avoid relegation, starting with the match against City.

Rumours emerged that Pearson was involved in a fracas with players as his side slumped to a 3-1 loss against the Hammers last week, but speaking ahead of his side's clash with City, Deeney has poured cold water over any such notions, as well as shutting down discussions that he may help pick the starting XI to face Pep Guardiola.

"I just want to put it out there, there was no fight at half-time," he told beIN Sports. "It's 2020, you don't do that any more and certainly with all the cameras you would see a lot more if that was the case.

"The gaffer didn't put his hands on anybody. He was just frustrated and had a firm talking to us. No-one was fighting, no-one was punched and no-one was tickled. There were no hands thrown.

"Second of all, Troy will not be picking teams - I have read that online as well. I am player-coach, apparently. Anything else I have missed out? We weren't locked in... so a lot of interesting things."

Speaking on Pearson's exit - with the 56-year-old the third permanent manager to be dismissed by Watford this term after Javi Gracia and Quique Sanchez Flores, Deeney admitted that he was caught off-guard by the choice to sack him.

"You get to a point in football where you are not surprised any more, but I would say this one surprised me and took me back a bit," he added.

"I wasn't anticipating that was going to be the situation we'd walk into on Sunday. We had an up and down week before.

"We won two games (against Norwich and Newcastle) and you'd like to think we would have got a better result against West Ham, but that wasn't to be and the club made a decision.

"You have to respect that decision. Again, they pay us. They are our bosses, essentially, and we have to respect the decision and give all the support you can to good people in Hayden and Stacky (Graham Stack, goalkeeping coach).

"We want to make sure we give them the best chance because ultimately their career depends on it moving forward."

When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ran on to a David Luiz pass early in the semi-final of Arsenal’s FA Cup clash with Manchester City, nearly every Gooner watching at home expected Ederson’s net to bulge to send Mikel Arteta’s men 1-0 up.

It didn’t quite pan out as imagined as the Gabon star shot straight at the Brazil goalkeeper in a manner that suggested an inexperienced forward rather than this year’s 20-goal Premier League marksman. Pictures showed Nicolas Pepe, hands on head, stood in disbelief at what he had just witnessed.

Indeed, the post-match narratives had the North London side lost were already being predicted; from criticism ranging from ‘bottling’ chances to perpetual ‘flat-track bully’ claims, the headlines were probably starting to write themselves.

What happened thereafter, though, was the Arsenal captain at his imperious best to score two well-taken goals in each half that stunned Pep Guardiola’s side and put the capital club on the brink of a 14th FA Cup.

The first was a great finish from an acute angle from a Pepe cross, while his second was finished superbly between the City stopper’s legs after a well-weighted Kieran Tierney through ball over the Citizens’ defence.

2-0, job done and Auba was the hero at Wembley Stadium. The post-match statistics made for interesting reading: Arteta’s troops managed four attempts to City’s 16 and their top scorer managed three of them (centre-back Shkodran Mustafi accounted for the other).

Finishing two of his three efforts was nothing short of clinical, and the frontman responded to critics following the game, too, as he had the last laugh.

The criticism that the experienced striker only scores against the supposedly smaller sides has seemed to follow him since last season but is there any veracity to this claim?

Statistics show that 14 of the Arsenal skipper’s 20 Prem goals have come against teams currently in the bottom half of the league, which accounts for 70 percent of his return in the league.

In nine appearances against Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur this season, the Gabon international has netted just three times, with his last coming against the Blues in December. This, though, should take into cognizance that he got only 32 minutes against Jurgen Klopp’s side in last week’s 2-1 success and was introduced with his team solely focused on holding on to their lead.

Additionally, the fact Aubameyang has scored goals against Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, fourth and sixth in the table respectively, suggests the opprobrium may be a tad harsh.

Jamie Vardy, the league’s top scorer with 23, has netted on three occasions against the division’s top teams as well, with further strikes coming against new boys Sheffield United and Burnley in ninth. 18 of the Englishman’s 23 strikes have come against teams from 11th to 20th in the standings, a staggering 78 percent compared to Auba’s 70 percent.

Liverpool pair of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane’s goal returns also present interesting quirks.

The two-time Golden Boot winner has scored five times against the traditional top six sides (including a brace against Arsenal in August) while the current African POTY has hit the back of the net only twice against the big six, numbers that put the Arsenal star’s three strikes in perspective.

Taking it further, only two of Harry Kane’s 17 Premier League goals this season have come against the established teams, although he has scored four times against sides in the top half, including an impressive brace against Leicester on Sunday.

Given the aforementioned forwards’ similar returns against the top teams, why then is Auba singled out as the flat-track bully among the lot?

In fairness, on goalscoring numbers alone, it is a ridiculous claim, but maybe the Arsenal man’s style has contributed to the simplistic presentation of facts.

Given he’s somewhat limited in possession and is seldom involved in the team’s build-up, observers tend to narrow-down his contribution to what he does in front of goal alone.

Vardy, stylistically similar to the Gunners captain, has assisted five goals to Aubameyang’s two. The ex-England international has also created 12 big chances to the Arsenal man’s seven, numbers that immediately indicate the 2015 African POTY’s lack of involvement for the 2019 Europa League finalists.

Expectedly, Salah and Mane have more assists (nine and seven) and have created more clear-cut chances (13 and 10) respectively, but Kane’s two assists and four big chances fashioned out pales to the Gabon striker’s. However, the two-time Golden Boot winner is more involved in Spurs’ moves evidenced by his heatmap this term, while he has also been lauded for being multifaceted.

Auba’s weaknesses mean he does little when he isn’t scoring, which probably leads to the criticism that he contributes nothing in the big games. Arsenal, especially away from home, have little of the ball in these games, too, which only highlights their captain’s anonymity when they play the traditional top clubs.

Case in point is the City game on Saturday where he was unsuccessful in all eight duels, completed none of his attempted dribbles and lost possession more often than Alexander Lacazette and Pepe, who edged him in all three metrics.

Crucially, he had three more attempts than the pair managed combined, scoring twice, and both can’t match his deadly predatory instinct in the final third.

Indeed, the Arsenal captain has been more efficient this season than in recent years at Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. He’s surprisingly missed only nine big chances this term, a significant reduction to last year’s 23 and the year before (six in 13 games in the Prem and 19 in 13 matches at Dortmund). In his last full season at Die Borussen, the Gabon star failed to tuck away 25 presentable opportunities, despite ending top scorer with 31 strikes, one ahead of the equally prolific Robert Lewandowski.

This newly found effectiveness has benefited the three-time Premier League champions but whether it is an outlier or deviation from the norm remains to be seen.

A more clinical Aubameyang is an assassin in every sporting sense of the word, and bringing home Arsenal’s 14th FA Cup title in the club’s next ‘big game’ against Chelsea will further banish the perception that he preys exclusively on weak opposition.

SuperSport United defender Bongani Khumalo says the reigning MTN8 champions are doing everything according to the book as they guard against the coronavirus pandemic.

The veteran defender explains they are training in groups and heaped praise on the Tshwane giants for following the safety guidelines.

On the other hand, Khumalo says he is focusing on the one-year deal he recently signed with coach Kaitano Tembo’s side until June 2021.

“We train in groups of five, the first five come in and do their thing and with five people on the pitch there is very little room for contact,” Khumalo told Phakaaathi.

“As per the guidelines, the club has been doing pretty well in terms of following them. I am not sure if the other clubs are doing the same but one thing for sure is that SuperSport is doing it by the book.”

Coming back to his new contract with the three-time Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions, the former Bafana Bafana defender says he is not focusing beyond the 2020/21 campaign.

"It has been like that for some time now, my contract is valid for the next year…obviously now the year is a bit strange but it is up in June 2021,” added the 33-year-old.

“We will have to see because the thing in South Africa is that once you reach the age of 30, you only sign a one plus one [year] contract. For now, I have one more year…I am pretty excited and I will just focus on that year.

“After that year I will need to see how my body feels, to see whether the club wants to keep me or whether I move on, those are things to consider once the contract is up.

“For now, I am really focused on what I have and that is another year with SuperSport and I am looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean tactician also expressed delight in the fact they managed to retain the lanky centre-back’s services.

Although he is used sparingly, the former Tottenham Hotspur defender is seen as a leader at the club as he guides the youngsters especially following the departure of skipper Dean Furman who returned to the United Kingdom.

Ethiopia-based Ghana international Lee Addy opines the poor working conditions in the domestic league which makes the Premier League (GPL) unattractive.

Addy is among a contingent of frustrated footballers rescued from the East African country and evacuated back home following a distress call to the Government of Ghana in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Addy, who represented Ghana at the 2010 World Cup, played for Berekum Chelsea during his days on the local scene.

“Our only motivation to stay and play in the [Ghanaian] league is if Ghanaian clubs are able to present us with good offers," Addy told Happy FM.

“I will urge all the big clubs in the country to invest in the players and they will gain in the long run. It will also help the league to be competitive.

"In Ethiopia, the FA has set a standard for players to be paid a minimum of $1,000 [€874]. Most players in Ghana will prefer to play in Ethiopia than in Ghana because of the salary.

“We hope the GFA can turn things around on this issue but it must start from now."

Last month, a group of about 22 players sent out an SOS call, through a viral social media video, to the Government of Ghana, alleging to have failed to receive help from the Ghanaian consulate. The footballers were spotted outside the Ghanaian embassy in Addis Ababa.

The Ghana Ministry for Youth and Sports (MoYS) in collaboration with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) jointly combined efforts to pull off a successful rescue mission.

The players are currently under mandatory quarantine in accordance with Ghanaian travel safety protocols.

“We are pleased with what the government and the GFA have done for us, in fact, we didn’t expect them to help us this way," Addy said.

"I will advise any Ghanaian to visit the Ghana embassy in any country they travel to and inform them of their arrival so in case of any problem they can reach out to them."

The Premier League is scheduled to return in October, having been forced to a stop by the coronavirus pandemic from March. 

Both Maurizio Sarri and Cristiano Ronaldo will be at Juventus next season, according to the club's chief football officer Fabio Paratici, as the pair continue to hunt domestic and European glory this term.

The former Chelsea boss arrived in Turin at the start of the current campaign as successor to Massimiliano Allegri, on the back of guiding the Blues to Europa League success.

However, the Bianconeri's near-ironclad grasp on the Serie A title has looked rather uncertain at times this term, with Sarri's side having failed to win in their last three league games before facing Lazio on Monday evening.

With Inter, Atalanta and Lazio themselves all continuing to breathe down Juve's neck, speculation has rumbled that there could be a change at the top for the Old Lady if they fail to repeat their title success once again.

Speaking ahead of the club's clash with Lazio on Monday however, Paratici rubbished claims that Sarri does not have a future at the club, assuring fans that he will still be in charge come the start of the 2020-21 season regardless of their success in regards to silverware this campaign.

"The talk is all in the media," he told Sky Sport Italia. "I've been here for 10 years [and] we have been top of the table basically for nine of them non-stop.

"We won trophies with Allegri over five years, Serie A and Super Cups. Yet every time after a draw, even a win, we've always had internal meetings. We're used to the speculation, we laugh about it. Without a doubt, Sarri will be the Juventus coach next season."

Paratici also reaffirmed the commitment of striker Ronaldo to the club, with the Portuguese player having enjoyed another fine season for the club in his second term following his arrival from Real Madrid.

As one of the game's leading lights, rumours have often swirled over the forward's future, particularly as he approaches the twilight of his career, and Paratici has been quick to affirm that he will remain at Allianz Stadium.

"There is dialogue with Cristiano, as there normally is between coaches and players," he added. "He is definitely staying and he continues to do very well with us.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola aimed a barb at Arsenal by saying he has a lot of respect for the team on the pitch but not much for the club off it.

His former assistant Mikel Arteta masterminded a 2-0 victory over his side in the FA Cup semi-final as City suffered their first domestic cup defeat in more than two-and-a-half years.

Guardiola did congratulate the Gunners for their success on the pitch after admitting his team’s first-half performance was not good enough.

“We didn’t play the first half against Arsenal like the second, that was the only regret. We wanted to play 90 minutes like the second half,” he told a press conference.

“But, after we were beaten, we shake hands. The opponents always deserve my respect and credit. And Arsenal, I have all the respect for what they are on the pitch, not much off the pitch – but on the pitch, a lot. Congratulations to them and good luck in the final.”

Guardiola did not expand on why he does not have respect for the Gunners but they were believed to be part of group of Premier League clubs that wrote to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) asking them to refuse any attempt from City to delay a two-year Champions League ban.

In addition, a newspaper report claims that Arsenal were the driving force behind the move before City were cleared of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play breaches .

Saturday’s defeat to Arsenal shifts the all the focus to the Champions League round-of-16 against Real Madrid, with the final Premier League games against Watford and Norwich having no impact on their guaranteed second-place finish.

City lead 2-1 from the first leg in Spain and Guardiola says his side will need to improve on their FA Cup defeat if they are get past the new La Liga champions to make the end-of-season tournament in Portugal.

“Against Madrid we know we have to do good games, all the cups are one game and we did a good performance but [against Arsenal] we were not good enough, that’s all. It can happen and you move forward, it’s forgotten,” he said.

“The next time we play Arsenal next season we will see what we can do to play better and we are incredibly excited and incredibly optimistic about the game against Madrid for the players that we have.

“We know that If we play at a decent level - higher than we play against Arsenal - we’ll have our chance. If not, we’ll be out.”

Guardiola will not be giving his players time off despite now having a free weekend before the Real Madrid tie on August 7.

Zinedine Zidane has allowed his squad a short break after they lifted the Spanish title to “disconnect a little bit from football”, but City will not be following suit.

“We'll have two days [off] after Watford but after Watford we'll have two weeks of training sessions,” he said.

“We are going to make some changes for the last two games. I'll try to let all of them play. I'm so excited for preparing for the Real Madrid game and for the next season.

“When I lose this excitement and fire in me after victory and defeat, it will be a problem.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has written himself into the history books once again after the Juventus striker became the first player to score 50 goals in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.

The Portuguese's second-half penalty finish against Lazio saw him clock up a half-century of goals in the Italian top-flight since his arrival in Turin, in addition becoming the fastest player to do so since 1995.

In addition, the 35-year-old's converted spot-kick means that he has also equalled Giuseppe Signori's 1994-95 record for penalty goals in a season, with 12 successful conversions from inside the area.

Ronaldo joined Juventus ahead of the 2018-19 campaign following the better part of a decade with Real Madrid, during which period he won virtually every major domestic honour and four Champions League titles.

Before that, he spent six years at Manchester United, where he initially forged his reputation as one of the world's greatest players with a maiden Ballon d'Or win in 2008 following the Red Devils' own European triumphs.

At both clubs, he clocked up an impressive number of goals, with 118 in 292 appearances for United and 450 in 438 games for Madrid - and with his latest haul for the Bianconeri, he has shown that his prowess remains impressively intact even as he approaches the twilight of his career.

At international level, Ronaldo lies one finish short of a century outright, with 99 goals for Portugal across all competitions, with only Iran's Ali Daei having exceeded his prolific total on the global stage.

Juventus are chasing another Serie A crown in what is manager Maurizio Sarri's first campaign at the helm, though Lazio remain one of a handful of sides breathing down their neck across the final weeks of what has been a peculiar season bisected by a global pandemic.

Five months after they were first scheduled to face them in a second-leg encounter at Allianz Stadium, the Bianconeri will look to overturn a 1-0 defeat against Lyon in the Champions League round-of-16 in the coming weeks, as they hope to reach the competition's condensed finale in Lisbon.

Pep Guardiola will not give Manchester City any time off between the end of the Premier League season and their crunch Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

Europe's top competition represents City's remaining chance to add to their retained EFL Cup this season, following a lacklustre 2-0 loss to Arsenal in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final.

Guardiola was critical of his players' performance over the opening 45 minutes of that match and they are set for a period of intensive work on the Etihad Campus training pitches in the 12 days in between the concluding Premier League encounter against Norwich City on July 26, and Madrid's visit to Manchester on August 7.

City hold a 2-1 advantage from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu back in February and, ahead of Tuesday's Premier League game at Watford, Guardiola rejected the suggestion he might allow a break at the end of the domestic season.

It is a stance at odds with Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane, who said he would allow the newly crowned La Liga champions to "disconnect a little bit from football" after finishing their domestic campaign with a 2-2 draw against Leganes on Sunday.

"No, no, no – we'll have two days after the game against Watford but after we will make two weeks of training sessions," Guardiola said, with his team guaranteed a second-place finish behind Liverpool.

"These two games – we are going to make some changes, some that played the semi-final are not going to play. We are going to play the next two games. I will try to let them all of them play. We will see what happens."

Guardiola's criticism of City's mentality against Arsenal marked a departure from his usual reactions to defeats, where he tends to be carefully protective of the players.

The 49-year-old is set to break new ground next season, having never led a club for five consecutive campaigns.

Despite the dispiriting nature of the weekend loss and the surrender of the Premier League title to Liverpool, Guardiola insists his motivation remains undimmed.

"As a manager with one team, you have an advantage with positive things but at the same time, after you win a lot, you have difficulties to handle the situations," he said. "But I'm so excited for these two weeks we have ahead, preparing for the Madrid game and excited for next season.

"The moment I lose this excitement, the fire I still have inside me to go after victories and defeats, it will be a problem."

Guardiola added: "It's a challenge for me, I've never been five years at one club and also it is a challenge to prove myself next season. Am I able to maintain the level that we had in the previous seasons? 

"In a world where everyone sacks everyone, to stay in a job for a long time is so difficult. Just take a look. England was an exception but now it is not anymore.

"It depends on the results and I'm so proud of the staff and backroom and players for helping me to be here for a fifth season."

Eric Choupo-Moting has opened up on his relationship with his Paris Saint-Germain teammates, stating he gets on well with them.

The Cameroon international made a surprise switch to the French champions in the summer of 2018 as a free agent after leaving Stoke City following their relegation from the Premier League.

The move afforded him the opportunity to link up with Brazil star Neymar and France forward Kylian Mbappe, who emerged as the 2018 World Cup Best Young Player after helping his country to win the coveted trophy.

Choupo-Moting, who recently extended his contract with the Parisians to enable him to feature in their Champions League, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue games, explained how he gets on with the star players.  

“At the start, when I didn’t know them very well, they were stars. After two weeks here, they were team-mates and even friends because we get on very well, we laugh together,” Choupo-Moting told France Football.

“And then, they integrated me very well too. It was easy for me… From the outside, everyone thinks: ‘Ooooh, how is it to live alongside these big stars?’ For me, we have players who belong to the top five players in the world category.

“But, when we are together, we don’t think about that. We speak and joke together, it is not anything extraordinary. We are like friends.

“I think that we have the best attack in the world, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are in the top five players in the world category. But it is also a source of motivation. I don’t want to take someone’s place but to bring something to the table.”

The forward has scored six goals in 31 league appearances since joining the Parisians and in the 2019-20 season, he has featured in 17 games across all competitions scoring five goals and providing one assist.

The 31-year-old was part of the side that won the Ligue 1 title in 2019 and 2020 and will hope to add to his trophy cabinet before the end of the campaign.

Choupo-Moting, who started his career with Teutonia 05, has previously played for Hamburger SV, Mainz 05 and Schalke 04.

The forward was born to a German mother and a Cameroonian father and featured for Germany's youth teams before pledging his international future to Cameroon.

The striker made his debut for the Indomitable Lions in May 2010 and has played 55 times for the West Africans, scoring 15 goals.

Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay is confident that Martin Odegaard's loan from Real Madrid will be extended for another season.

Odegaard joined Sociedad on a one-season loan deal in July 2019, and has since shown exactly why Madrid went to so much trouble to snap up him up while he was a teenager at Stromsgodset.

The 21-year-old contributed an impressive seven goals and nine assists in 36 domestic outings for Imanol Alguacil's side this term, helping them earn a sixth-place finish in La Liga.

Odegaard's most notable performance came in a Copa del Rey quarter-final victory over his parent club, as Sociedad beat Madrid 4-3 at Santiago Bernabeu to reach the last four.

The Norwegian found the back of the net in the pulsating cup tie and set up another of the goals, before leaving the pitch to a standing ovation from the home supporters when substituted in the second half.

Sociedad legend Roberto Lopez Ufarte talked up Odegaard's abilities during an interview with Noticias de Gipuzkoa in April, while insisting the attacking midfielder could end up filling Luka Modic's boots at Madrid when the Croatian calls time on his career.

Ufarte said: “I think he has his head screwed on and he knows why he came here: to show people, to show that he has a lot of ability and that he is waiting for a spot to open up at Real Madrid. These are just my thoughts, but possibly in the next year when Modric leaves."

Madrid have yet to decide whether to recall Odegaard or extend his loan stay at Sociedad by an extra year, but Aperribay is "hopeful" an influential figure will stay put through to the end of the 2020-21 season.

Asked if there is a good chance of the former Stromsgodset starlet's services being retained, the La Real president told Onda Cero: "Yes, I think so. It doesn't depend on us but on him and Real Madrid, but we are hopeful that he can stay with us for another season."

Odegaard's final outgoing of the current campaign came as Sociedad earned a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday.

Madrid, meanwhile, became La Liga champions for the 34th time in their history after beating Villarreal last Thursday, before wrapping up their domestic schedule with a 2-2 draw at Leganes over the weekend.

Kenyan international Ismael Dunga won the Albanian Premier League of the 2019/20 season with KF Tirana and booked a spot in the Champions League group stage qualifying rounds.

Although Dunga did not start in the Saturday match that guaranteed KF Tirana the win and a trophy, the forward would be proud of his 2019 move that has now ensured he has a league title to his name.

He was brought on in the 72nd minute to replace Winful Cobinah. Ernest Muci and Marsel Ismailgeci scored to ensure KF Tirana won 2-0 against Flamurtari on July 18 on their way to another title in their history.

The Capital City club has bagged the league trophy with two matches still remaining for the season to conclude.

KF Tirana won what became their 25th title and Dunga became the first Kenyan to lift the Albanian league.

Simba SC’s Francis Kahata, Musa Mohammed of Nkana FC and Kenneth Muguna of Gor Mahia had stints at the club but did not record a league success with them.

Kahata was at KF Tirana in 2015 while Muguna and Mohammed joined them in 2018 when the then Gor Mahia coach Jose Marcelo Ferreira ‘Ze Maria’ signed them.

Dunga bagged the gong alongside Ghanaian Cobinah who joined KF Tirana from Hearts of Oak in 2018.

As Cobinah made 29 appearances for the club and scored seven goals, Kenya’s Dunga played in 13 games and scored three fewer goals than Cobinah.

Dunga has played for Kenyan Premier League (KPL) sides Tusker, Sony Sugar and Nakumatt FC before.

KF Tirana were established on August 15, 1920, and could crown their 100th anniversary with a double should they defeat Teuta Durresin during the upcoming domestic cup final.

Dunga arrived at KF Tirana last year from another Albanian club Luftetari where, from 2018 to mid-2019, had played in 24 matches and scored seven goals.

The 27-year-old forward played for Greek side Acharnaikos between 2016 and 2017, featured in seven matches and scored three goals before he moved to Morocco and signed for Raja Beni Mellal.

From Raja Beni Mellal, Dunga signed for City of Lusaka in 2017 and in 2018 he left for NAPSA Stars, another Zambian side.

Dunga’s maiden league trophy will count as the first for KF Tirana who last won it in the 2008/09 season.

Former Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph-Antoine Bell has told Andre Onana to consider the prospect of regular football before “thinking about money” if he has to leave Ajax Amsterdam.

Onana has been linked with a move away from the Johan Cruyff Arena with Chelsea, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain reportedly interested in him.

But Chelsea have appeared more serious in recent days following a series of errors by their number one, Kepa Arrizabalaga who has been far from impressive, while veteran Willy Caballero has failed to step in between the posts.

If Onana is convinced to return to Barca where he attended La Masia for five years before joining Ajax in 2015, he would be met with competition from Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Brazil’s Neto if none leave the La Liga giants.

At PSG, the experienced Keylor Navas and Sergio Rico would be in his way.

“When it’s time to move you have to think about one major thing,” Bell told Goal.

“The issue is, am I going to play? And how often am I going to play? And then you can think about the money. Money must never be the sole reason you are moving. So if Andre can get the answer to these questions, then he can make up his mind and make a decision.

“Andre has to first assess his chances of playing at any club he would move to. He knows himself, he can situate himself with regards to other goalkeepers at the club and he is talking with this club and he knows what the club thinks about him and his performances.

“I am not his counsellor, I am not his advisor, I am not his advocate. I am just someone who can watch the game and say Andre is doing well but I am not there to compare him with goalkeepers from other clubs.”

Onana who still has two years left on his Ajax contract has previously stated he is keen for a Premier League move.

While Onana is already regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world after being nominated for the Goalkeeper of the Year at the 2019 Fifa Ballon d'Or awards, Bell wishes for the 24-year-old to become the best on the planet.

“When you are a football player and performing for the best club in the world you always think you have to go further,” Bell said.

“So all we can wish or I can wish for Andre is [for him] to become world number one. But you know being among the best is easy and it is even easier than being the best [which] is only one spot. Being among the best you can be number two, number three, number four, number five. So no one can predict he is going to be the world’s best but at least we know he is already among the best.

“You know, to be among the best is not having one good and great season, you need to among the best for a long period to leave a legacy.”

In the Cameroon national team, Onana contends for a starting place with his cousin brother Fabrice Ondoa with whom he attended the Barcelona youth academy.

Onana and Ondoa have managed to condemn veteran goalkeeper Carlos Kameni to the bench, highlighting the strength of the Indomitable Lions' goalkeeping department which has always been rich in depth across generations.

Besides Bell, Thomas N'Kono and Alioum Boukar are some of the legendary goalkeepers who gave fame to Cameroon's goalkeeping area.

Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) technical director Francis Oti Akenteng has hailed new Ajax Amsterdam acquisition Mohammed Kudus for breaking Ghana's transfer record for a teenager.

Last week, the 19-year-old, a product of the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, completed a five-year move to the Eredivisie giants from Danish fold Nordsjaelland.

The deal was worth a reported €9 million.

“To be frank, Kudus' move to Ajax is a good one. It is good for himself, the country, his former club FC Nordsjaelland and most importantly Right to Dream Academy. In fact, his move serves as a motivational factor to the rest of the academies," Akenteng told Bryt FM.

“Now people who will like to venture into the academy will happily do it because they know that if you do your work very well, you will definitely get somewhere.

“I remember Nordsjaelland invited me to Denmark and I had the opportunity to meet Kudus. I spent about five days there and had talks with the Ghanaian players at their fold before I came to Ghana. I also had the opportunity to be with him at the Ghana U20 team although the entire team did not do well but everybody saw his potential.

“He is a boy who has been lucky, playing from the U17, U20 and to the Black Stars. When he came to the Black Stars, I was in camp with them and I did my best to prop him up and I am very happy to see that this boy has matured and now breaking the transfer [record] for a teenager, it is not a small thing.”

After progressing from representing Ghana at the 2017 Fifa U17 World Cup in India, Kudus represented Ghana at the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Niger where the Black Satellites failed to qualify from the group stage.

In November last year, the attacking midfielder was rewarded with a call-up to Ghana's senior national team for a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying double-header against South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe on the back of a run of fine performance for club side Nordsjaelland.

It was a remarkable debut against South Africa as the Accra-born netted as a second-half substitute to ensure the 2-0 triumph in Cape Coast.

He made 25 appearances and scored 11 goals for the Wild Tigers in the Danish Super Liga this season. 

Pep Guardiola has paid a glowing tribute to Marcelo Bielsa after the Leeds United manager secured his side claimed the Championship crown, describing the veteran tactician as a "unique" presence in world football.

The former Chile, Athletic Bilbao and Marseille boss has secured hero status in West Yorkshire after guiding the Whites back to the Premier League, ending a 16-year exile from the top flight of English football a year on from play-off heartbreak in his first season at the helm.

The Championship title represents Bielsa's first domestic honour for over two decades, having last claimed silverware at club level in 1998 with Primera Division club Velez Sarsfield in his home nation.

But the 64-year-old has long been a cult figure and favourite of many coaches, including Guardiola.

The Spaniard has long admired the Argentine, having sought his counsel before he made the move into top-level coaching and has now admitted that he is delighted his old friend will join him in the Premier League next term.

"He has done an exceptional job," he told his pre-match press conference ahead of City's trip to Watford.

"They were exceptional last season and then didn't get promoted. They showed a lot of character to get promoted a year later. We know how difficult it is to win the Championship and get to the Premier League, so congratulations."

Addressing Bielsa's relatively light trophy cabinet - he also has an Olympic Gold Medal from his time in charge of Argentina - Guardiola stressed that he feels the ex-Albiceleste boss' enduring influence upon a generation of players and coaches counts for much more.

"I was not his player, so it is difficult to talk about him. But I know the reference from a hundred million players who were with him," he added.

"I was lucky enough to have the chance to talk to him. He is unique in world football because of the special way he plays. He is an authentic manager. No other manager in the world plays the way he plays.

"He is an incredible person. He is so special. It is my personal opinion but it will be incredible for English football to have him in the Premier League next season."

Guardiola's spells with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City means he has ample experience when it comes to winning titles.

However, he feels even these considerable heights are dwarfed by what Bielsa has created during his career.

"Winning titles helps to have a job next season but at the end of your life, what you remember is not the titles you have won, what you remember is the memories you have and whether the manager taught you a lot," he said.

"I had a bad night after the Arsenal game but the day after, it is forgotten. If you win a title it is the same. You have the night but the day after, it is forgotten.

"What we remember are the experiences and the memories, the players you have had, the managers you have had. Marcelo is at the top of the list. Absolutely at the top of the list."

One manager unable to keep hold of his job was Nigel Pearson, who will not lead Watford against City after being relieved of his duties on Sunday.

"Before the lockdown, what Nigel had done was incredible," Guardiola added. "The amount of points and the results they got when they were at the bottom. After that, I don't know what happened.

"I respect the decisions of the club, of course. I wish Nigel all the best, he's an experienced manager in England and has done incredibly well in the past and this period at Watford."