Chipolopolo defender Luka Chamanga is grateful to have finally followed his big brother James Chamanga’s footsteps and played for Zambia but admits carrying the name comes with almost the same weight that comes with wearing the national team shirt.
Unlike his legendary brother and 2012 AFCON-winning striker, the 31-year-old is a late bloomer to the Chipolopolo fold and has only received his first of five caps so far over the last three weeks. The highlight saw him win the 2022 COSAFA Cup on July 17 following a 1-0 win over Namibia in Durban.
Furthermore, the junior Chamanga has also never played at youth level for Zambia.
“It has not been easy to play under the Chamanga name because the level he (James) has reached is high, and the standards he set are very high, but nothing is impossible. God got him up there, and he can also get me up there,” Luka said, who plays for Kitwe giants Power Dynamos.
James Chamanga, 43, is still going strong in the Zambian top flight, where he helped inspire Red Arrows to the 2021/2022 FAZ Super League title in a season in which he scored six goals.
Prior to that, James Chamanga won the 2019/20 FAZ Golden Boot, with 16 goals in his second season back in Zambia after a decade and a half stint overseas that took him from South Africa, where he played for Bush Bucks and Moroka Swallows before heading to China.
“All I have to do is listen. He helps me not lose focus and give my all every season. He tells me with hard work everything will be possible,” Luka Chamanga said.
“He has been a big inspiration. He directs me when I have not played well and is very frank. When I do well, he tells me this and that.”
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