Divine Mukasa: Man City's latest teen sensation who scores from kick-off, takes Panenkas and wants to emulate Kevin De Bruyne

Mukasa was born in London to a Lithuanian mother and a father from Uganda. He enrolled in West Ham's academy when he was five years old and spent a decade there, forming part of an exciting generation of players who won the Under-18 Premier League South and FA Youth Cup double. Aged just 15 at the time, Mukasa scored in the title-clinching win over Arsenal befor the Hammers then outclassed the Gunners 5-1 in the Youth Cup final at the Emirates Stadium, although Mukasa was an unused substitute that day.

After lifting the league title, Mukasa said: "We are a relentless team, and we will never sit off. We will always try to win, and we will always try to score goals. We have won the title today, but we are not finished yet."

Mukasa, however, was about to finish his journey with the Irons. He spoke to Rangers and Newcastle that summer, but eventually decided to join City, one month after turning 16. He won his second FA Youth Cup in his first season, this time starting in the final as City rolled over Leeds United 4-0.

However, it was not the smoothest of transitions, as he admitted to the Manchester Evening News: "The first six months were tough, especially with City playing such a different way and the high standards from the club. "t wasn't just me getting used to the club, it was the staff getting used to me, what my attributes are, trying to help me optimise them. It was a little bit tough, getting used to the system and adjusting it a little bit has helped as well.

"It was that sense of freedom that I had at my previous club. I didn't get it at first, but that's natural. The coaches are used to having a set structure so I can't just come in and change that. It took some getting used to."

Mukasa began to settle more in his second season at City as he started more often and took more responsibility. Fans subsequently began to sit up and take notice of him after he netted a hat-trick in a 7-1  trouncing of Newcastle in December 2024.

The first goal in particular was impossible to ignore as Mukasa scored directly from kick-off. Newcastle had just given themselves a bit of hope by making the score 4-1, but Mukasa brought them right back down to earth with a single kick, leaving his opponents dumbstruck as he lobbed the ball downfield and high into the net.

It wasn't the only demonstration of his innovation that day, as he scored his next goal by glancing the ball into the net with his chest. Mukasa's treble against the Magpies contributed to him ending the season with 17 goals and 25 assists in 37 age-group games, and his excellent campaign vindicated the youth team coaches' decision to keep him in the U18s for the majority of the season rather than promote him full-time to the U21s.

"I was expected to dominate a bit more this season, help lead the team," he explained. "I think I've done that, It's been a good season. For my own confidence and relationship I've built with the managers, playing all the time has helped me a lot."

Mukasa was earmarked for the U21s this season, but he has effectively jumped up a level and gained first-team experience. He got the call to join Guardiola's side for their only pre-season friendly of the summer against Palermo and impressed in his short cameo, assisting Tijjani Reijnders' second goal in the 3-0 win with a classy flick.

He continued to train regularly with the first team and featured on the bench for the Premier League games against Manchester United, Arsenal and Burnley, as well as Champions League clashes with Napoli and Monaco. Mukasa eventually made his competitive debut when he started City's Carabao Cup third round tie at Huddersfield Town in September.

He produced an impressive performance, too, as Mukasa filled the centre-forward role usually reserved for Erling Haaland. He had never played up front before and revealed that Guardiola had told him to operate more as a false nine. In doing so, Mukasa laid the ball off for Phil Foden to score the first goal and led the line admirably as City walked all over their League One opponents.

"Divine played unbelievable, he’s an incredibly top player in the pockets, he had two or three chances to score," gushed Guardiola.  "Divine is top, top. He has a sense of touch, quality with the ball, and he fought a lot. He played really well."

While his strike rate is impressive, particularly for a midfielder, Mukasa's greatest quality is his technique, which makes him a brilliant dribbler as well as someone who can play line-splitting passes under pressure.

"He is so brilliant on the ball. What he can do with the ball sometimes is unbelievable," City's U18 coach Oliver Reiss said. "It looks sometimes too easy for him, because of his quality. He's good with both feet, normally he's left-footed but then delivers to the corner with his right foot. So no problem, the way he's thinking, what he sees, it's incredible for me."

'Confidence' is another word that crops up a lot in discussions around Mukasa, and it's easy to see why. You do not score from a kick-off if you are lacking in self-belief, after all!

That chutzpah, however, does not always manifest itself in a positive way. Mukasa has, for example, attempted Panenkas in high-stakes games, with mixed results. He scored with a chipped penalty when City sneaked past Midtjylland in a shootout in the UEFA Youth League last season, but in the quarter-final tie with AZ Alkmaar, his similar effort was saved as City were beaten 1-0 courtesy of an added-time goal.

Despite going out of the tournament, Mukasa had no regrets about his penalty-taking methods. "It's part of my playing style," he told the Manchester Evening News. "I like taking responsibility in big moments. Whether it goes well or not I'd prefer to be me than anyone else. It's just the way I play, I don't think about it too much. I just end up doing things naturally."

Other areas Mukasa needs to work on are his decision-making in the final third and getting better with his right foot.

Mukasa has cited Zinedine Zidane and Kevin De Bruyne as his childhood idols, and he got to share a pitch with the City legend when participating in first-team training last season before the playmaker left for Napoli.

"De Bruyne is similar in terms of always looking to create and score goals," Mukasa explained. "From the times I've trained with them, I've tried to pick up as much as I can from the way he behaves, he gives everything every day. He's a good person to look up to." 

Mukasa's effortless ability on the ball and slick touch has also brought him comparisons with Mesut Ozil, and he certainly has the audacious confidence and flair of the former Real Madrid, Arsenal and Germany No.10. Mukasa's tendency to use his left foot over his right makes Ozil a more fitting comparison than De Bruyne, who, though lethal with his left foot on many occasions, is predominantly right-footed.

Having impressed on his competitive debut at Huddersfield, Mukasa will be keeping a keen eye on City's next fixture in the Carabao Cup against Championship side Swansea City for another opportunity. City's later games in the league phase of the Champions League against Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray could be other suitable occasions for him to earn more minutes in Guardiola's starting XI - provided, of course, that City have already booked their place in the knockout stage.

Mukasa has made the bench for three Premier League games, although City are just a couple of injuries away from him being seen as a viable option. Should anything happen to Haaland, for example, then Mukasa could get another chance to prove himself up front.

As January approaches, there is bound to be loan interest in Mukasa. Indeed, it has been reported that Cardiff City wanted to sign him over the summer, only for Guardiola to dismiss the option so he could develop closer to the club. And given the success of O'Reilly, who was the subject of interest from Chelsea last winter before he had made his competitive debut for City, Mukasa would be advised to stick around and see if he can force his way into the team.