​The Biggest Goal Of All

Affable South African soccer star Bongani Zungu, who’s in one of the top five leagues in Europe, speaks about his next big career goal – and he’s only 25.

- Nick Said

Bongani Zungu is in many ways the poster-boy for South African football, a skilled technician whose ability on the pitch is matched by his determination and desire off it.

The Bafana Bafana midfielder has been something of a rarity of late – a player who has made the step up to feature in Europe and not just succeeded, but also taken his own game to a new level in a rapid rise through the ranks.

It did not come easily for the 25-year-old, who at times was riddled with self-doubt, but he had the grit to work through the hard times and now finds himself at Amiens in France’s Ligue 1, considered one of the top five leagues in Europe and therefore the world.

“I have always worked hard and set myself goals to achieve… I have never got to a point where I thought, ok, I have made it,” Zungu tells FORBES AFRICA.

“My first goal was to be a professional footballer and I achieved that. Then I wanted to play for the national team and I achieved that too.

“My next goal was to play in Europe and I have managed that also. But for me now, it is important to take a step up to play in a competition like the [UEFA] Champions League. That is my next goal and something I am working hard towards.”