Bafana Bafana defender Olwethu Makhanya has described his move to Scottish giants Rangers FC as a dream come true, following in the footsteps of his South African role model, Bongani Zungu.
The defender revealed that he grew up looking up to the former Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu FC midfielder Zungu, who played for Rangers between 2020 and 2022.
Makhanya is thrilled that he is now following in the footsteps of his idol at the same club, something he described as an ‘unreal’ and ‘real’ blessing. The 22-year-old made the remarks while addressing a press conference ahead of Rangers’ clash against Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Saturday.
‘I USED TO LOOK UP TO BONGANI ZUNGU’ – OLWETHU MAKHANYA
“When I was young, I used to look up to Bongani Zungu, who happens to have played for the club, so being here for me is unreal and a real blessing,” Makhanya said.
“To be part of this club is a dream come true. I have always wanted to play at this level, especially coming from South Africa.”
The former Philadelphia Union defender was speaking after being named Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for September, an award he credited to his teammates and coaches.
The gangly defender was a cut above the rest as Rangers won all five matches in September, including four league victories. Derek McInnes also scooped Manager of the Month.
“It is always good to get individual recognition, but football is a team sport and I feel like I was able to get this award because of everyone around me. Especially as a defender, I can’t do it alone, so it is all credit to my teammates and the coaches,” he said.
What makes the award more special is that it comes on the back of a successful international break, where he helped South Africa to three victories. Bafana Bafana beat Guinea and Eritrea in 2027 AFCON qualifiers before accounting for the scalp of Egypt in a friendly.
“It was a very enjoyable and successful international break. We were able to win all three games, so we did really well,” he said. “To represent my country is always something I work towards, so being able to set that as a goal and achieve it is really good.”
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