Former Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Shaun Bartlett has pointed out a lesson that SA players can grasp from Fotbal Club FCSB defender Siyabonga Ngezana.
In what was a surprise move, the 26-year-old joined the Romanian side FCSB from Kaizer Chiefs ahead the beginning of the season.
He had been with the Chiefs senior team since 2016 when he was promoted under Steve Komphela.
Ngezana had a debut to remember, scoring a goal in the Chiefs’ 2-1 win over Mamelodi Sundowns.
However, at some point, he faced fierce criticism from fans as his journey in the Gold and Black shirt presented challenges.
His move to Romania came unexpectedly just when Chiefs were preparing for the start of the current season. The defender had a slow start at his new club but eventually cemented his position at the back.
He recently won his first career trophy, helping the FCSB to hoist their first league title in nine years.
Bartlett sees a move to Romania, though unconventional, as a potential stepping stone for players targeting Europe’s elite leagues.
He believes Ngezana could find himself in one of the biggest leagues soon. Bartlett believes SA players should move to countries that offer a pathway to the top European leagues.
The Amakhosi academy product, Ngezana has already been linked with French Ligue 1 side FC Lorient.
BARTLETT ON HOW SIYABONGA NGEZANA’S MOVE TO ROMANIA SHOULD INSPIRE SA PLAYERS
“You look at Ngezana at the moment. Everybody was surprised why he went to a country like that for football,” said Bartlett in an interview with FARPost.
“But now you see teams from Spain, France and around Europe interested in him. That’s what it comes down to sometimes.
“When you take a step back in order to go three steps forward, it can benefit you. And I think that’s a goal he’s having in mind that one day that he wanted to achieve something.
“And that’s why he went to Romania as a country for football. He can easily in the next six months be in one of the top leagues in Europe because people have seen him play.
“And that’s sometimes a difference as well. With the national team, we don’t get to play outside of South Africa anymore besides the two games that were recently played in North Africa.
“We used to play Germany, Argentina, Brazil, play big countries and when you do well and you perform…even FC Zurich, that contract came because of me playing for the national team at the World Cup.
“So, again, it was a platform for me to do well and see if I can secure a contract at another club. That’s how FC Zurich came into play.”
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