Divine Mukasa, one of the most exciting young footballers of his generation, visited the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) in Kaunas alongside his mother, Laima. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder, currently developing in the Manchester City academy, is considered a rising star in European football.
Mukasa, born in 2007, has already played five matches for England’s U18 national team. However, he remains eligible to represent Lithuania at the senior level due to his Lithuanian heritage through his mother.
During his visit, Divine and his mother met with LFF representatives including President Edgaras Stankevičius, Technical Director Deividas Šemberas, national team head coach Edgaras Jankauskas, and international scout Vadimas Tiščenka. The group also visited the Darius and Girėnas Stadium and were introduced to the broader landscape of Lithuanian football.
Mukasa joined the Manchester City academy in 2023 and has rapidly gained attention for his performances. His name has already appeared in reports linking him with interest from European giants such as Ajax and Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, it appears the young talent will remain in England for now. Over six months ago, he signed his first professional contract with the Premier League club, managed by Pep Guardiola.
In the 2024–2025 season of the U18 Premier League, Mukasa delivered a stellar performance, scoring 16 goals and providing 15 assists in just 20 matches. These outstanding statistics earned him the title of the team’s best player. Given his current trajectory, it wouldn’t be surprising if he received an opportunity to debut for Manchester City’s senior squad as early as next season.
Vadimas Tiščenka, who works as an international scout for LFF, revealed in an interview with the Lithuanian media 15min last month that he has been actively communicating with Mukasa’s family.
“At first, I thought we didn’t stand a chance, as he is truly a huge talent. But once I began speaking with his mother, I realized the initiative to represent Lithuania was coming not just from our side, but also from theirs,” Tiščenka explained.
“Both Deividas Šemberas and I are putting in a lot of effort, working with the Migration Department to understand all possible avenues. We must not give up hope, we need to at least try to attract a player of his caliber to our national team.”
Notably, Divine is also eligible to represent Uganda through his father. However, according to V.Tiščenka, Lithuania currently holds the upper hand between the two:
“As of now, between Uganda and Lithuania, the priority is Lithuania. That’s very encouraging. I can’t make any promises, but based on my conversations with Divine and his mother, if not England, Lithuania is the only other option they are seriously considering.”
He added that communication with the family takes place every few days, and they have expressed a clear interest in potentially representing Lithuania at the senior level.
Tiščenka also emphasized the importance of acting now:
“Let’s not forget: before reaching senior level, young players can represent multiple youth teams. We know he’s a top-level talent in England, but the competition there is immense. Even the best players in England’s youth system are not guaranteed a spot in the senior national team. That’s why we must do everything we can now. If it turns out he ends up playing for England’s senior team, we’ll be able to sleep calmly, knowing we did everything within our power.”
