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Mamelodi Sundowns co-head coach Rhulani Mokwena lauded Gaston Sirino's attitude and commitment following his side's win over AmaZulu FC on Friday evening.

The Uruguayan playmaker made a substitute appearance as Masandawana claimed a 1-0 win over Usuthu in their opening PSL match of the 2021/22 season.

Sirino has repeatedly voiced his desire to leave Sundowns for reigning African and Egyptian champions Al Ahly where he would reunite with his former coach Pitso Mosimane this year.

Al Ahly saw their bids for the player rejected by Masandawana late last year, but Mosimane has stated that they will no longer be pursuing the talented player. 

Mokwena was impressed by the 30-year-old's commitment following their narrow win over Usuthu which saw the Brazilians start their defence of the PSL title with a victory.

"Gaston very important player for us, settled now focused, he pledged his commitment and this is what we say all the time," Mokwena told SuperSport TV.

"We can't remember one or two mistakes when the player has shown us 150 times that he loves the club, he's committed to the club and sometimes you try to forget one or two occasions.

"And it happens to everybody you know - where we make mistakes and we try to remember the 99 times that he's respected us, fought for us, and helped us to win football matches," he continued. 

"We're happy that his attitude is here and he's settled, focused on helping the team meet its objectives and we continue to work."

The Tshwane giants have been active in the current transfer window having signed Thabiso Kutumela, Neo Maema, Sifiso Ngobeni, Divine Lunga, Pavol Safranko, and Grant Kekana.

Mokwena indicated that the Brazilians may not be done signing new players as they look to go all the way and clinch their fifth successive PSL title this term.

"Whether or not we're done on the transfer window, that one let's wait and see because we're working on one or two deals but we can't let the cat out of the bag yet," he added.

Sundowns have been linked with Lamontville Golden Arrows captain Nkosinathi Sibisi, who was one of the most outstanding defenders in the PSL last season.

Ex-Manchester United and Brazil midfielder Anderson faces multiple criminal charges related to his alleged involvement in a criminal cryptocurrency organisation. 

A total of eight people have been charged with aggravated theft, fraud and money laundering after an investigation carried out by authorities in Porto Alegre, Brazil. 

The group stands accused of illicitly redirecting funds and using crypto operations to cover the subsequent money trail. 

What is Anderson accused of? 

According to the probe, led by the Rio Grande do Sul Public Prosecutor's (MP-RS) office and dubbed Operation Cryptoshow, the now-retired player formed part of a ring that stole and laundered money through the use of the virtual currency. 

In 2020 Anderson's apartment in Porto Alegre was raided by authorities and his personal computer seized. He subsequently confirmed that he worked as a crypto trader, but denied any involvement in illegal activities. 

The operation in question is investigating the April 2020 theft of R$30 million (£4m/$5.5m) from a major Brazilian industrial firm. That sum, according to the Prosecutor's office, was deposited in 11 bank accounts across four states in the country and then laundered through the purchase of cryptocurrency both locally and overseas. 

Anderson, meanwhile, denies any wrongdoing in the matter and will seek to clear his name. 

"We have not been summoned, it is hard to talk right now," the former player's lawyer Julio Cezar Coitinho Junior explained to Globo. 

"There is an investigation underway, Anderson has said he is aware. But Anderson is going to prove that he was a victim, not an accomplice. That is his position."

The bigger picture

While best known in Europe for his mixed spell at Old Trafford, Anderson enjoyed an accomplished playing career in his native Brazil, picking up the nickname 'Andershow' for his skills on the ball. 

The Porto Alegre native started his career with Gremio but chose to move to arch-rivals Internacional upon his return to the city in 2015, winning the Gaucho state championship with the club that same year. 

Anderson went on to finish his playing days in Turkey with Adana Demirspor, while he also won eight caps for Brazil and was part of the Selecao's triumphant 2007 Copa America squad.

Further reading 

Ghana coach CK Akonnor is not closing the door on veteran striker Asamoah Gyan ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations finals next year.

Currently back home with Ghana Premier League side Legon Cities, Gyan is yet to receive a call-up since Akonnor assumed duty as Black Stars boss in January last year.

His last Ghana appearance came at Afcon 2019 where the four-time champions suffered a disappointing Round of 16 exit.

“Asamoah Gyan has made it clear that he wants to. He’s an experienced man and knows what to do for him to get into the team,” Akonnor told pressmen at a conference on Friday.

“Once he does, he’s a Ghanaian and he’s done a marvellous job in the past. So, we’ve had a bit of discussion, he knows what to do. I’m also watching him closely. And not just him but any other person that has the chance to come.

“The other day, I invited [Frank] Acheampong who is always one of them, who is also out of the team for quite some time but unfortunately there were issues not permitting him to come. So, it is open for everybody.”

Gyan recently stated his desire to play for Ghana at the January 9 – February 6 tournament in Cameroon, emphasising he “he has not retired from football”.

The 35-year-old is Ghana’s leading scorer and all-time most capped player, having scored 51 times in 109 internationals.

Elsewhere at Friday’s presser, Akonnor provided further clarification on the continuous absence of Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu from the Black Stars’ set-up.

The 22-year-old has not received a call-up since turning down his first invitation in November 2019, then with Kwasi Appiah at the helm of affairs as head coach and Akonnor as assistant coach.

Upon the latter’s assumption of duty as head coach, Salisu was conspicuously missing from his first squad announced, amid explanation the defender was not yet ready for international football with Ghana.

He is yet to be called up under Akonnor’s reign.

“With Salisu, he made that comment [that he’ll inform us of his readiness to play for Ghana when the time comes]. I’m not the one who made it. He said when he’s ready,” the coach said on Friday.

“When a player makes a comment like that, then there should be an issue. Having said that, I’ve had the chance to communicate with one of his people, and the lesson is that we’ll have to wait until he’s ready. And that’s it.”

In April this year, Salisu revealed his pride at the possibility of playing for Ghana but stated the time was not yet right.  

Immediate former Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has hit out at the players at the club for "lacking basic development skills".

The German was under pressure to resign from last season owing to the club's inconsistent form, and he eventually did on Monday after a 2-1 loss to Moroka Swallows in the MTN8 quarter-finals.

Speaking to the media for the first time since getting the chop, the German tactician says no matter what he did, he could not change the situation within his squad.

'17-year-old European defender can do better'

"There are things that you can teach your players as a senior head coach and there are things that a player should have learned from a young age, which is difficult to teach when he is already old," Zinnbauer told the media.

"I enjoyed my time as an Orlando Pirates Coach, but players there lack development, basic skills. Especially the defenders, even a 17-year-old European defender can do much better than some 30 years old PSL defenders. You can teach, shout, but it's impossible to change their weakness at that age."

'Stop hijacking undeveloped players'

The veteran tactician has now challenged clubs in the PSL to come up with structures to ensure they don't sign "undeveloped players".

"South African Clubs should learn how to develop players from as young as 8 years old if they want to be successful in the future," Zinnbauer continued.

"Stop hijacking already old undeveloped players. Be patient with development and you can go from where you are and become a powerhouse in football because you have extremely skilful and talented players, but you develop them wrongly."

The former FC St. Gallen boss left the Soweto giants after leading them to 35 wins, 20 draws, and 13 losses.

Zinnbauer was appointed Pirates head coach in December 2019 and his arrival saw the club stabilize their poor results and started climbing back up the table to an eventual third-place finish in the PSL that season.

In the 20/21 season he matched that third-place finish in the PSL and ended a six-year trophy drought when he delivered the MTN8 title in December 2020, he also led the Soweto heavyweights to the Caf Confederation Cup quarter-finals.

Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Phathutshedzo Nange has explained the mood in the team’s camp ahead of the start of the Premier Soccer League season.

The Soweto giants will open their 2021-22 top-flight campaign with a trip to Mpumalanga, where they will face TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday.

The 29-year-old box-to-box midfielder, who is among the new signings at Amakhosi, is confident they have prepared well to end the season with a trophy.

What did Nange say?

On his impression heading into the season opener against Galaxy, Nange told Chiefs’ media team: “We are looking forward to Sunday game, we are more hungry, determined to win and we want to make a good start, we want to make sure we get something at the end of the season.

“We don’t know much about the players for Galaxy but we are aware that they are not a bad side and we will go there and make sure that we apply ourselves well and be more prepared.

“Surely we want to start well, we want to make sure we collect maximum points, if you want to be somewhere at the end of the season or win something, then we have to make sure we collect maximum points as much as we can.”

Nange, who joined Chiefs from Stellenbosch FC, was impressive during the team’s defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in MTN8, and speaking on his debut during the day, he said: “It was a great game for us, and we applied ourselves very well but unfortunately we did not manage to go to the next stage which was a bit disappointing for us.

“I am happy with the club first, I am happy with the team and I am happy with my performance but the biggest part is the performance of the entire team and we hope we can improve and make it a better season for us.

“I am feeling okay and my recovery was good, I think I have been out for a few games, last season I did not play much but I am working on it.”

On signing for Chiefs, Nange said: “Firstly I am more than happy to be here, this is where I have always wished to be and my target now is to help the team, I want to make sure we deliver something for the fans, and we want to work as hard as we can to achieve our targets as a team and also as a player.”

Further PSL reading 

Wilfred Ndidi is anticipating a tough encounter when Leicester City travel to West Ham United for Monday's Premier League fixture. 

Both teams started the 2021-22 league campaign on a winning note with the Hammers fighting back from a goal deficit to claim all three points against Newcastle United.

Leicester City also defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0, thanks to a first-half strike from Jamie Vardy. 

The Super Eagles midfielder is confident the Brendan Rodgers' side can pick up at least a point on the road despite the difficulty might face.

"It’s going to be a tough one," Ndidi told the club's website. "We’ll see what we can do. We’ve worked hard for it. We work hard for every game that comes ahead, so we’ll see what comes out of that game.

"Fingers crossed we can get something out of it so let’s go."

While reviewing last Saturday's win, Ndidi said he is still in awe of how Vardy finished Ricardo Pereira's cross towards the end of the first-half.

"I still do not understand how Vards got there," he continued. "Even during the game I was saying to Daniel [Amartey]: ‘I don’t understand how Vards got there and then dipped it into the goal!’.

"It was brilliant from Ricardo to get past those guys and then the cross. I still don’t understand how Vards got there. It was really good, that’s why he’s there, so we move."

After the English star's opener, Leicester City struggled to break Wolves' defence in the second half and Ndidi admitted the win was a morale-boosting result for them.

The 24-year-old said: "I feel very well, I feel great. It was a good feeling to get three points in the first game of the season to just give us the confidence to go ahead. It was really good. Of course, the second half was really, really tough.

"We had a lot of pressure and, as the manager always says, you have to stay in the game, deal with it, and look forward to getting what you can get. 

"The potential is there, but it’s down to us to keep working hard. It was a really good we could stay in the game."

Highly-rated Manchester City striker Liam Delap has signed a three-year contract extension, which keeps him at the club until the summer of 2026.

The 18-year-old made his first-team debut last season, scoring in the 2-1 Carabao Cup third round victory over Bournemouth before being used as a substitute in the Premier League clash with Leicester City.

A number of Championship clubs are keen to take Delap on loan, but with City yet to sign a replacement for Sergio Aguero, his immediate future is set to be at the Etihad Stadium.

What’s been said?

“It’s obviously a massive achievement for me,” he said. “I am so happy. I have been here now for two years and every day I have loved it. I have just loved the place and all the people. I can’t wait to do even more.

“I’ve got everything here. I’ve just fallen into place here and that’s why I’ve committed my future here.

“There is always someone there to support you. They make you feel so welcome and you get the best coaching and the best players playing with you so it improves your game.”

Why have City given Delap a long-term deal?

The son of Premier League cult hero Rory Delap, he joined City from in June 2019 and quickly made a big impression in the Academy as a goalscorer.

He scored nine goals in 15 games in his debut season as well as helping City to FA Youth Cup success in 2020.

As well as appearing for Guardiola's side, last season Delap scored 24 goals in 20 matches for the Elite Development Squad as City won the Premier League 2 title with the striker named as the league’s Player of the Season.

What's next?

Delap has already shown he is ready to play first-team football having also scored against League Two sides Mansfield Town and Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Trophy.

Middlesbrough, Stoke City and Derby have all been linked with loan moves this season but Goal understands that there are no currently plans for him to leave.

However, that could change if City were to sign a striker in the transfer window with Tottenham's Harry Kane remaining the top target.

Further reading:

Guardiola happy with Man City squad as deadline looms

Nuno givers update on Kane as Man City rumours rage on

Kane & Man City running out of time to end transfer saga

Bengaluru FC will be looking for their first win in the 2021 AFC Cup group stage when they take on Bashundhara Kings at the Maldives National Football Stadium, on Saturday.

Marco Pezzaiuoli’s men went down 2-0 against Indian Super League (ISL) rivals ATK Mohun Bagan on Wednesday after they made it to the group stage following a solitary goal win over Club Eagles of Maldives in the playoffs.

Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings come into the tie on the back of a 2-0 win over Maziya S&RC.

Here's how to watch Bengaluru FC vs Bashundhara Kings in India.

Contents

What time does the 2021 AFC Cup game between Bengaluru FC vs Bashundhara Kings start?

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How to watch Bengaluru FC vs Bashundhara Kings on TV & live stream in India?

In India, the 2021 AFC Cup group stage will be broadcast on the Star Sports network. Online streaming will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar, JioTV and BFC TV - Bengaluru FC's official YouTube channel.

Commentary will also be available in vernacular languages across India.

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Bengaluru FC vs Bashundhara Kings: Team news

Bengaluru's attack was left wanting in the ATK Mohun Bagan defeat under new coach Pezzaiuoli. Sunil Chhetri was virtually absent on the evening before being replaced by Leon Augustine. Udanta Singh, too, looked off colour. It will be crucial for the Chhetri-Cleiton Silva partnership in attack to click in the penultimate game in the group stage.

The Blue's back two in Alan Costa and Yrondu Musavu-King can expect to deal with a lot from Bashundhara's attack who have scored as many as 67 goals in all competitions this season, with names such as Raul Becerra, Jonathan Fernandes, Khaled Shafiei and Robinho (on loan from Fluminense) to look out for.

Ashique Kuruniyan was injured in the game against Club Eagles and was not included in the line-up of the last game. 

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Chelsea star Kai Havertz has donated €200,000 to the Red Cross in order to aid victims of widespread flooding in Germany in recent weeks.

The 22-year-old has been shocked by the images coming back from the country, with the player's own Rhineland region especially hard hit over the course of July.

As well as the cash donation, he is also pursuing other fund-raising initiatives as the disaster continues to affect families weeks after the event.

What was said? 

Havertz first became aware of the situation during a phone call with his father following Germany's exit from Euro 2020, having been told that they had experienced days of heavy rainfall. 

"To be honest I didn't take what he said seriously because sometimes that happens," he explained to the BBC. "But then he sent us the videos and pictures.

"It was horrible. You could see everything was flooded, cars were floating around, there were people in the water. It was hard because I lived maybe 20 minutes away from where it happened. I mean, I grew up there."

"Maybe everybody has already forgotten. My family lives in the area and we know that there are so many homeless people. They lost everything and they don't have a place to sleep, or there are houses without electricity and people that don't have food or clothes.

"So I think right now it's still a good time to help. Still they have a lot of problems."

The playmaker has contributed with a sizeable donation, and also devised a plan to make 100 pairs of boots to be sold for auction in order to raise funds. 

Havertz will wear a pair on Sunday against Arsenal, when Chelsea will seek their second consecutive Premier League victory to the start of the season. 

The bigger picture

While roughly a dozen European countries were affected by flooding in July, caused by intense storms and precipitation, Germany took the biggest blow.

No less than 184 of the 230 deaths confirmed across the continent occurred there, making it the worst natural disaster in the nation for almost 60 years. 

Among those fatalities, 135 were recorded in Rhineland-Palatinate (all of whom were in the district of Ahrweiler), 47 in North Rhine-Westphalia - which includes Havertz's hometown of Aachen - and two in Bavaria.

In addition, 200,000 properties in the North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate regions were left without electricity as a result of the flooding. 

Even now, more than a month after the disaster, the German Red Cross continues to serve more than 10,000 meals a day to residents without power or water nationwide.

Further reading 

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to generate exit talk at Juventus, but Portugal international team-mate Bruno Alves believes the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will stick around in Turin for "one last assault on the Champions League".

European glory has eluded an all-time great during his time in Italian football, with the Serie A title also slipping out of reach for the Bianconeri last season.

Ronaldo was tipped by many to depart this summer after failing to hit ultimate targets alongside another century of goals in his stunning career, but the 36-year-old remains part of Massimiliano Allegri's plans for now and is being tipped to stay put.

What has been said?

Veteran defender Alves, who has taken in many outings for his country alongside a fellow Euro 2016 winner, told Tuttosport on Ronaldo's future: "I haven’t talked about these things with him.

"My feeling is that in the end he will stay at Juve because he still has something to do: how to win the Scudetto back and try one last assault on the Champions League. 

"Cristiano always wants to prove himself, he is a born winner."

Will Ronaldo remain at Juventus?

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out a return to Spain for the Portuguese icon, while the man himself has hit out on social media at the speculation he is generating.

Alves added on that outburst: "There are always great rumours around him and they are often without foundation. He simply asked for some respect."

Ronaldo has entered the final year of his contract at Juve and has no fresh terms on the table.

It could be that he walks away as a free agent in the summer of 2022, allowing him to follow the lead of eternal rival Lionel Messi by taking on another new challenge.

Can Ronaldo deliver in 2021-22?

If he is to stick around in Turin, then Juve will continue to look to Ronaldo for moments of magic and match-winning inspiration.

Alves expects the proven winner to deliver on expectation, with there every reason to believe that a man who has broken the 30-goal barrier in 11 of the last 12 seasons will maintain remarkable standards.

Asked about what we can expect from Ronaldo in 2021-22, Alves said: "What we all know: a phenomenon with a guarantee of 30-40 goals, even at 36 years of age. 

"Cris is a champion, a winner and always does extraordinary things, but he needs the team to support him. One cannot think that he alone is enough."

Further reading

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has called on supporters to no longer sing the Chelsea rent boys chant, describing it as a "waste of time".

Some Reds fans targeted Norwich midfielder Billy Gilmour, who is on loan from Chelsea, with the homophobic chant during their Premier League opening day win at Carrow Road last week.

Klopp, in conversation with Paul Amann, founder of Liverpool LGBT+ fan group Kop Outs, said any supporters who sing the song in earnest are "idiots", while those who participate without knowing the background should find another way of supporting the team.

What has been said?

Speaking in a video on the club's Twitter page, Klopp said: "I never understand that, why you would sing a song that is against something in a football stadium, I never got that and never liked it.

"I think it's easy to decide not to sing the song anymore. It's from no perspective the nicest song in the world, so it's not necessary. It obviously makes people uncomfortable from our own fan group.

"I can imagine now that people out there think, 'come on, it's only winding them up' and stuff like this. But that's the problem - most of the time we don't understand. I'm not sure if people listen to me but it would be nice. I don't want to hear it anymore for so many reasons.

"From a player or coach perspective, I can say these songs don't help us as well. It's a waste of time because we don't listen. If you think what you sing: you are an idiot. If you don't think about what you sang, it's just a waste of time, forget it and go for another song."

Why is the song offensive?

Explaining why the chant - which mocks a player by implying they are a gay prostitute - is so offensive to LGBT+ fans, Amann said: "We know there are very few out gay professional players, actually only enough to make up perhaps a full team with a couple of people on the bench in the whole history of men's football.

"There is something not right there in terms of the environment, and I've got too many LGBT+ friends who have expressed discomfort at being at the match, or don't want to go because they are scared they might be left feeling uncomfortable.

"The rent boys chant which was sung at Norwich is so unnecessary, and what people don't realise is that it's chanted at the player, but actually the people who hear it are fellow fans like myself, who go from hearing You'll Never Walk Alone and being embraced in that fantastic fanhood and atmosphere to suddenly being left out in the cold."

Further Reading

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Teye Partey is highly unlikely to join up with Ghana’s squad for their upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifying double-header against Ethiopia and South Africa, Black Stars coach CK Akonnor has said.

Currently in the treatment room owing to an injury sustained in pre-season, the 28-year-old was a surprise inclusion in the West Africans' provisional 30-man squad announced for the early September games last week.

Partey picked up an ankle injury following a challenge from Hakim Ziyech during a clash with Chelsea, forcing his substitution from the game before half-time.

“With Partey, yes, we’ve been talking. It doesn’t look too good,” Akonnor told media during an online press conference on Friday.

“Still, there’s always Plan B. We have people who will take that position and do well, so we’ll wish him speedy recovery, get well soon. But it doesn’t look too good.”

Partey’s injury predicament sidelined him from Arsenal’s season opener against Bretford last week, and he expected to sit out Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea.

According to The Gunners, the Ghanaian is expected back in training by the end of the August, which means his chances of making the trip to Ghana for the clash with Ethiopia on September 3 and an away showdown with South Africa three days later are slim at best.

“Right ankle. Thomas sustained an injury to ligaments in his right ankle during the friendly match against Chelsea on August 1. Thomas continues to be assessed and is expected to be back in training by the end of August,” Arsenal wrote in their team news on their official website ahead of the Brentford fixture.

With the former Atletico Madrid man, who is expected to play a crucial role for Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in January, all but set to sit out September’s international duty, Akonnor will hope to welcome the midfielder back into the Black Stars for back-to-back World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe in October.

“Every month I speak to almost all the players,” the coach also said at Friday’s presser.

“When they come [down for national duty], maximum we’ll have I think a week to go. We meet on Sunday, Monday, by Friday we’re playing our first match and then the next two, three days we’re laying the second match and then they’re gone back. So, one of the things that I do very well with them is to communicate with them in terms of what we want to do and all that.

“The captain [Andre Ayew] is in the lead on that, always make contact with him [and] those who are injured, those who are not injured and all that. And so, I’m aware of certain things with them, concerning the national team.”

Ghana are looking for a strong start to the World Cup qualifiers in September to boost their quest of making a return to the global showpiece after missing out on Russia 2018.

Sheffield United are keen to take Manchester United winger Amad Diallo on loan but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not sure whether the teenager will leave the club. 

Solskjaer said earlier this month they were weighing up what to do with Amad, and a loan move was a possibility to further his development. 

However, the Man Utd manager has been impressed with the winger after he joined back up with the squad after the Olympics and would not confirm if the 19-year-old would be leaving before the window closes at the end of the month. 

What has been said? 

Sheffield United boss Slavisa Jokanovic confirmed his side’s interest in Amad in his pre-match press conference on Friday. 

Asked if Amad was of interest he replied: “I don’t need to comment but there does exist some truth in that.” 

Solskjaer was asked about the plan for Amad in his press conference as his side prepare to face Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday. 

“With Amad I have to say he’s done really really well in training, he’s come back a little bit later after the Olympics, he needed some time to get him back in and now he’s looking really good,” Solskjaer said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed as well but it has to be the right loan, right move, right club, right way of playing for any of our youngsters.” 

How many times has Amad played for Man United?

The 19-year-old arrived from Atalanta in January and made eight appearances for the first team last season but just two starts. 

He’s missed the majority of pre-season training as he was competing for Ivory Coast in the Olympics, and with Jadon Sancho signing he has been pushed further down the pecking order at Old Trafford. 

What else was said? 

Solskjaer did confirm that one player who will be leaving the club on loan is midfielder James Garner. The 20-year-old is expected to join Nottingham Forest on loan. 

“I would definitely think Jimmy will go on loan that’s more or less done,” Solskjaer said. “He’s done really well in pre-season, he’s really impressed me, I think for his career another year or another six months in the Championship playing regularly will help him.”

Further reading 

It was in the build-up to the 2018 World Cup that Willy Caballero witnessed Lionel Messi's unrivalled dribbling skills first hand, the now 39-year-old finally getting to be Argentina's No.1 at during his time at Chelsea.

And the hit Netflix series, The Last Dance, which followed the career of Michael Jordan in U.S. basketball, reminded him of his international team-mate's abilities.

What did he say?

"To play against Messi is a nightmare sometimes," Caballero told Goal. "Your team will be focusing on Messi and he creates space for other people then eventually the next person to appear is Messi.

"I had the opportunity to train with him in a small game in the national team. He is a machine, even when he trains, he just wants to win. If you have seen The Last Dance with Michael Jordan, he is like that as he cannot accept losing.

"He doesn’t accept losing any single game so he is pushing you to win even a small game. I remember one day when we were training before the World Cup against Spain Under-23s.

"In the build-up, he came to me to offer me a solution. I gave him the ball in our box and he ran with the ball at speed against 10 players and scored. Everyone was thinking, ‘what?!’ We saw Messi in the best level possible before the World Cup.

"We were in shock and it was incredible. Sometimes you don’t see that as teams are really focused on Messi and putting four or five players against him. It is incredible. He is the best player in the world for sure."

What next for Messi?

The 34-year-old's transfer to Paris Saint-Germain stunned the world after Barcelona announced that they could no longer afford to keep him. PSG moved to secure him on a free transfer that saw fans partying in the streets.

Caballero watched the situation unfold and felt a sense of empathy as Messi cried in his press conference after leaving Barcelona.

"Now I can see that he is very happy but the days before were really tough," he added.

"Everyone was thinking about the next move of Messi but no one was thinking about how he thought when he got the news when Barcelona couldn’t offer what they were going to pay, which was half the price of what he earned last season or something like that.

"There’s also [Sergio] Kun Aguero as they are really close friends who played in the national team and they wanted to play in the same team again. I believe this news shocked a lot of people in Barcelona.

"I felt sorry for him and his family too. Still, it is good for Leo to try a new league. It is good to show that he can still do it and do what he has done in Barcelona."

Further reading