Bongani Zungu – Player Profile 2024 & Career

History of Bongani Zungu

Bongani Zungu was born on 9 October 1992 in the Duduza township of Gauteng, one of the nine provinces in South Africa.

Despite having a rough childhood, he has emerged as one of the best soccer players in South Africa through hard work and the force of his will.

As a boy growing up in difficult circumstances, he always dreamt of becoming a soccer player. However, he never got selected to any academies.

In a recent interview, he humorously recounted a story from his early teens where he was rejected by Mamelodi Sundowns, a club he later represented in several successive seasons.

But he had a lot of commitment and family support. So, he persevered and started playing for a team called Dixieland Stars.

During his time with the Dixieland Stars, he was spotted by scouts from Dynamos, a team that plays in the second-tier South African National First Division league. They selected him right away and he has never had to look back ever since.

Bongani Zungu in South Africa

In this section, you will find an overview of Zungu’s career in South Africa, including both domestic leagues as well as his national record.

Dynamos F.C.

Bongani Zungu began his professional soccer career with the National First Division team called Dynamos. The team is based in the city of Giyani, which is in the Limpopo province of South Africa.

Zungu was with Dynamos during the 2011-12 season of the National First Division league. However, he did not play any matches.

Pretoria University FC

Prior to the 2012-13 season, Zungu joined the University of Pretoria from the Dynamos and played 24 games for them. At the time, the University of Pretoria team was competing in the top-tier South African league. He was a crucial contributor to the team’s stellar performance during the season and helped them finish at the 8^th spot. He personally scored 7 goals throughout the tournament.

Mamelodi Sundowns

As a result of his prodigious performance, he was selected by a team that had once rejected him during their under-15 trials. He joined the Mamelodi Sundowns in 2013-14 and stayed with them until the 2015-6 season.

This was undoubtedly a huge jump for him. The Sundowns are a top team in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), the top-tier professional soccer league in South Africa.

He did not let the team, fans, or his own aspirations down. He became one of the key pillars of the team by maintaining a consistently high level of on-field performance. Though he did not score many goals, he was instrumental as a central midfielder.

Zungu was an invaluable part of the team that made the Sundowns league champions in both 2013-14 and again in 2015-16. They ended up as the runners-up in 2014-15.

Prior to Zungu joining the Sundowns, they were struggling to win trophies at the highest level. It would be an exaggeration to say that his entry alone changed that. But he was a key member among the wider pool of extremely talented young players who turned the team around almost overnight.

After several highly successful seasons with the Sundowns, Zungu moved overseas and has been playing in foreign clubs ever since. After all, he often states in interviews that his love for soccer came from watching European leagues as a boy growing up in Duduza.

Bafana Bafana

Bongani Zungu has also had a great run representing South Africa on the international stage. He has made 27 appearances for the national team and has scored 6 goals cumulatively. Though he has not been called upon by the national team as often as he should have been, his record with Bafana Bafana has been noteworthy.

Since his debut in 2013 in a friendly match against Burkina Faso, he has worn the South African jersey in friendlies as well as international competitions like the African Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup.

Bongani Zungu International Career

In addition to a noteworthy career in his native South Africa, Zungu has risen to become a high-profile international soccer star. This section deals with his international career, especially in European leagues.

Vitória Guimarães

Zungu began his international soccer career by signing up with the Portuguese team Vitória de Guimarães in 2016-17. They compete in the top-tier soccer league in Portugal called the Primeira Liga.

He played quite well during his short but memorable stint with them. His performance during the 19 appearances he made for Vitória brought him the attention of bigger clubs.

Amiens SC

After one season with Vitória, he was quickly snapped up in 2017-18 by Amiens SC, a team that competed in the French Ligue 1 at the time. He has been with them ever since with the exception of one season when he was loaned out to the Scottish Glasgow Rangers.

Amiens SC played in the highest level of French professional soccer, that is, in the Ligue 1 from 2017-18 to the 2019-20 seasons.

Despite the team being relegated to Ligue 2 since then, Bongani Zungu has made himself an indispensable part of the team. His absence in the team was clearly noticeable when he missed much of the 2018-19 season due to a knee injury.

But he made an incredible comeback in the 2019-2020 season, where he was seen as instrumental in some of the most memorable games. This includes 2 extremely high-profile games against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Marseille.

Amiens SC drew the game 4-4 against PSG, which seemed unbelievable at the time because few teams are capable of scoring 4 goals against PSG. But the Amiens did it, and Zungu was a key part of that triumph.

Some weeks later in the season, they did something similar against Marseille as well. They drew 2-2 against a much stronger side, which came as a pleasant surprise to everyone who watched the game.

Glasgow Rangers

Zungu’s performance led to Glasgow Rangers, which plays in the top division of Scottish professional soccer leagues, borrowing him in 2020-21 with the option of signing him permanently. He represented them in 14 games and was a well-appreciated member of their championship-winning team.

Back to Amiens SC

However, at the end of his stint with the Rangers, he returned to Amiens. He is now playing for them in the French Ligue 2, the second-highest level of professional soccer in France.

Zungu’s contract with the Amiens SC is about to expire, so there is a fair bit of speculation about the future of his career. The South African media is rife with speculations about the likelihood of his being snapped up by notable clubs in South Africa.

Where Can I Bet on the Next Matches Bongani Zungu Will Take Part in?

As Bongani Zungu is currently playing for the French Ligue 2 team, Amiens SC, you need to choose a sportsbook that allows betting on Ligue 2 matches. In South Africa, there are plenty of legal betting sites for you to choose from.

We have compiled a list of the best sites for Ligue 2 betting and bonuses.

Moreover, almost all of them allow betting for international competitions like the African Cup of Nations where Zungu is likely to represent South Africa in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bongani Zungu

Some of the most common questions about Bongani Zungu have been answered below.