Success in football is rarely a solo journey. For Ayanda Patosi, the blueprint for his rise was provided by the late Anele Ngcongca, whose mentorship and legacy continue to resonate through Patosi’s career today.
Patosi arrived in Belgium around the 2010/2011 season as a teenage boy from South Africa, where he had the privilege to train with the Belgian club KRC Genk, the team for which the former Bafana Bafana defender Ngcongca was playing at the time.
Ngcongca spent almost a decade at Genk, having joined them in August 2007. He left the Belgian giants in 2016, when he went to join Mamelodi Sundowns in August of the same year.
During Ngcongca’s stint at Genk, the right back had the honour of lifting the 2010/11 Jupiler Pro League, the Belgian Cup in 2009, and the Belgian Super Cup in 2011.
Patosi, who shared special moments with Ngcongca at Genk, went on to sign his professional football contract with another Belgian side, Sporting Lokeren, in May 2011.
Interestingly, Patosi won the Belgian Cup in the same year [2011/2012 season] that he penned a four-year deal with Lokeren.
‘HE USED TO BUY ME SHOES AND CLOTHES’: AYANDA PATOSI
Patosi stated that Ngcongca, who sadly died in a motor vehicle accident in November 2020 while he was in the books of Masandawana, took care of him when he arrived in Belgium and used to buy him clothes and shoes, among other things.
The duo went on to play together for Bafana, with Patosi debuting for the national side on 12 October 2013, during an international friendly match against Morocco.
“Anele played a big role in my career. I remember the first time I arrived in Belgium I was staying at his apartment,” said Patosi in an exclusive interview with FARPost.
“You know, he used to buy me shoes, and clothes. He helped me a lot to adapt and understand Belgian football.”
Overseas, Patosi also turned out for clubs such as Esteghlal FC and Foolad FC from Iran, and FC Baniyas of the United Arab Emirates.
The 33-year-old is now attached to the ambitious SAFA Western Cape ABC Motsepe League side, Hope FC, where he is hoping to revive his football career.
The ex-Cape Town City FC midfielder has been without a club since January 2023, following his departure from Foolad FC in Iran.
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