Man City sign teenage winger Monga on five-year deal

London: Manchester City have signed teenage winger Jeremy Monga from Leicester on a five-year deal, the Premier League giants announced Saturday. musojam.blog

Monga made his English top-flight debut for the Foxes aged just 15 and has joined City despite interest from other leading clubs.

The 17-year-old played 37 times for Leicester and was also the youngest player to start a game for the club.

الأخبارالصومالي عرتن يقود النهائي.. الباريسي يلاقي أستون فيلا على كأس السوبريلتقي باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي مع أستون فيلا الإنجليزي اليوم، على ملعب «ريد بول أرينا» في مدينة سالزبورغ النمساوية، في نهائي النسخة الحادية والخمسين من كأس السوبر الأوروبي لكرة ...فتح →

No fee has been disclosed but Monga's move is reported to be worth £10 million ($13 million) with add-ons on a contract which will take him through to 2031.

Monga becomes the third English player to join Manchester City during the current transfer window, as new manager Enzo Maresca looks to refresh the squad, following the arrivals of goalkeeper Pierce Charles and club-record signing Elliot Anderson.

Monga featured for the first time in the top flight as a second-half substitute in Leicester's 3-0 defeat by Newcastle in April 2025 under Ruud van Nistelrooy and made his first start in the League Cup against Huddersfield in August 2025.

The England under-19 international is also the third-youngest player to feature in the Premier League behind Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman.

"When I became aware that Manchester City were interested, I knew instantly this was the right choice for me," Monga told his new club's website.

"For any young footballer, to become part of this amazing club is a dream come true. This has been the best club in England over the past 10 years.

"And it has also handed opportunities to players from the academy like Phil Foden and Nico O'Reilly which shows that the pathway is there.

"It is a privilege to be here and I'm delighted to have joined."

أكد صالح صقرالبوعينين أحد الرموز التاريخية للكرة القطرية، أنه برحيل صاحب السمو الأمير الوالد الشيخ حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني، رحمه الله، فقدت الأسرة الرياضية الأب الروحي والداعم الأول للحركة الرياضية والشبابية في قطر، مشيراً إلى أن سموه كان صاحب نظرة أبوية ورؤية ثاقبة تحولت بفضلها الرياضة القطرية من بداياتها البسيطة إلى منظومة عالمية يُشار إليها بالبنان.
وقال صقر: «إن الأجيال الرياضية المتعاقبة التي عاصرت نهضة قطر تدرك جيداً حجم العطاء والجهد الذي بذله الأمير الوالد لتطوير الرياضة من القواعد والأحياء والفرجان وحتى المنتخبات الوطنية، حيث كان سموه قريباً من الجميع وحريصاً على تشجيع المواهب الوطنية وتذليل كافة العقبات أمامهم، مما قاد كرتنا ورياضتنا لمنصات التتويج القارية والدولية، ومهد الطريق لتنظيم بطولات ومحافل عملاقة توجت بالحدث التاريخي الأبرز وهو كأس العالم قطر 2022».
وأضاف: «إن الإرث الحقيقي الذي تركه لنا الأمير الوالد، طيب الله ثراه، هو الإيمان بالقدرات الوطنية والعمل بروح الفريق الواحد من أجل رفعة هذا الوطن الغالي، ونحن كرياضيين تقع على عاتقنا مسؤولية كبيرة لنقل هذه القيم والمبادئ السامية إلى الأجيال القادمة، لتبقى راية قطر خفاقة دائماً في جميع الميادين الرياضية».

Doha, Qatar: England will aim to end Lionel Messi’s bid for back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles and then charge their way into the final when they face defending champions Argentina in a heavyweight semi-final clash at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium today.

The last-four showdown pits one of international football’s oldest rivalries, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.

Thomas Tuchel’s England are targeting a place in their first World Cup final for the first time since lifting the trophy in 1966, while Argentina are chasing a third appearance in the final in the last four editions. The Messi-led side is also hoping to become the first team after Brazil (1962) to successfully defend the world title.

For Messi, the man who carries the tag of owning most number of goals scored in World Cups (21), today’s semi-final carries extra significance as he prepares to face England for the first time in his career.

“I have played against everyone except England and it is special because they are a major nation, a powerhouse, and it is always nice to play against a side like that, especially in a World Cup semi-final,” Messi said ahead of the encounter.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has already inspired Argentina’s title defence journey, scoring eight goals, but Lionel Scaloni’s men faced few near misses on their way to the semi-finals.

الأخبارمن الجامعة الأوزبكية تقديرًا لجهوده في خدمة الأثقال.. محمد بن يوسف المانع يتسلم الدكتوراه الفخريةمنحت جامعة أوزبكستان الحكومية للتربية البدنية والرياضة، سعادة محمد بن يوسف المانع، النائب الأول لرئيس اللجنة الأولمبية القطرية ورئيس الاتحادات القطري والعربي والآسيوي والأفروآسي...فتح →

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (second right) with teammates during a training session.

After comfortably topping their group, Argentina edged Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time before rallying late to beat Egypt by the same scoreline. They then overcame Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals, extending their unbeaten run at the World Cup finals to 12 matches since their shock opening defeat to Saudi Arabia at Qatar 2022.

“This squad does not get tired of making history. They keep wanting more,” Messi said after the victory over Switzerland.

“It is not easy to have been world champions, to have won all that we have won, and to once again keep competing at this level and be back in the semi-finals.”

The 39-year-old maestro, who is probably playing his last FIFA World Cup, will be the biggest threat to England today, but English skipper Harry Kane believes his team must focus on Argentina as a whole, instead of individuals.

“We know how good a player he is, we know what he’s done in the game, how consistent he’s been for so long,” Kane, who was top scorer at the 2018 World Cup, said.

“But the game is against Argentina, not against Lionel Messi. So yeah, we have a lot of preparation to do. We’re coming up against a great unit, a great team with fantastic players,” Kane said.

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford echoed Kane’s views, saying: “We all know how good Messi is but we also know how good Argentina are. We can’t solely rely on stopping Messi.”

“We’ve got to focus on their other strengths and the weaknesses we can take advantage of.”

England, powered by a brilliant double by Jude Bellingham, claimed a comeback win over Norway in an extra-time thriller to book the Argentina meeting, following another 3-2 win over Mexico in the pre-quarters despite playing with 10 men.

England opened their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, drew with Ghana and defeated Panama 2-0 before surviving another scare against DR Congo to secure a 2-1 win in the Round of 32.

Overall, England hold the upper hand in the head-to-head record, with six wins to Argentina’s two, while five matches have ended in draws. England also lead the World Cup head to head record with three wins so far, while Argentina’s victories came in the gripping 1986 quarter-final and the shootout in 1998.

England’s most recent meeting saw them clinch a thrilling 3-2 friendly win in 2005, and fast forward 21 years, a whole new generation of The Three Lions are up against one of the pre-tournament favourites this time.