Siyabonga Ngezana has vowed he won't allow homesickness to cut his European journey short like it usually happens with most South African players, hoping to also be exposed to new opportunities and break into the Bafana Bafana set-up.
Kaizer Chiefs sold Ngezana to Romanian giants FCSB for a fee believed to be in the region of R12m a fortnight ago. After being delayed by visa issues, on Friday Ngezana finally jetted off to the Netherlands to link up with his new club, where they are having a pre-season. FCSB will compete in the Uefa Conference League this season.
“This is a massive opportunity for me to grow. This move will certainly open many doors for me. I will make sure I stay longer abroad. I want to use this move as a stepping stone to even better opportunities. I also have Bafana in my mind, I want to break into the team,” Ngezana told Sowetan.
“When you are playing in Europe, you are surrounded by opportunities, so my aim is to always be willing to learn because you’ll never know who’s watching.”
Ngezana’s transfer to Romania caught many by surprise, despite the fact that he had a strong finish to the 2022/23 season after a difficult start, where he was error-prone. For all that, the 25-year-old centre-back always anticipated he was going to earn an overseas switch.
Ngezana hopes move abroad will lead to Bafana place
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
Siyabonga Ngezana has vowed he won't allow homesickness to cut his European journey short like it usually happens with most South African players, hoping to also be exposed to new opportunities and break into the Bafana Bafana set-up.
Kaizer Chiefs sold Ngezana to Romanian giants FCSB for a fee believed to be in the region of R12m a fortnight ago. After being delayed by visa issues, on Friday Ngezana finally jetted off to the Netherlands to link up with his new club, where they are having a pre-season. FCSB will compete in the Uefa Conference League this season.
“This is a massive opportunity for me to grow. This move will certainly open many doors for me. I will make sure I stay longer abroad. I want to use this move as a stepping stone to even better opportunities. I also have Bafana in my mind, I want to break into the team,” Ngezana told Sowetan.
“When you are playing in Europe, you are surrounded by opportunities, so my aim is to always be willing to learn because you’ll never know who’s watching.”
Ngezana’s transfer to Romania caught many by surprise, despite the fact that he had a strong finish to the 2022/23 season after a difficult start, where he was error-prone. For all that, the 25-year-old centre-back always anticipated he was going to earn an overseas switch.
Kaizer Chiefs defender Siyabonga Ngezana signs for overseas club
“I wasn’t surprised when I was told I am going to Europe because this has always been my dream and I knew it was always going to come,” Ngezana noted.
The defender, who was born in Dundee, KZN, but grew up in Sebokeng, south of Johannesburg, believes the tribulations he went through at Naturena prepared him to be mentally strong, feeling that would help him whenever he encounters challenges in Romania. Ngezana is a Chiefs development graduate, who was promoted to the senior side in 2016.
“I joined Chiefs as a boy and left as a man. Playing for Chiefs all these years gave my career a strong foundation. I can safely say that all the things I went through at Chiefs have helped me to grow as a player and as a person, hence I am positive that whatever challenge I face in Romania I will overcome it,” Ngezana said.
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