Nga: I was really angry

He may have joined Bidvest Wits in the last few days of 2019 and made his debut only early this year, but striker Eva Nga has already made his presence felt on these shores. The Cameroonian, who was the top scorer in the Mozambican Premier League last season, where he turned out for Costa Do Sol, was particularly instrumental in Gavin Hunt’s side reaching the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup, opening the scoring in that crazy Last 32 encounter against Orlando Pirates as well as in the 4-0 thrashing of minnows Real Kings. This speaks of a man on a mission. But it has not always been comfortable for the 27-year-old. He knows all about pain and suffering, and has cried bitter tears before, owing to nasty experiences while plying his trade away from home. In this interview, Soccer Laduma’s Beaver Nazo gets Nga to open up about these struggles.

Beaver Nazo: Eva, welcome to the pages of the biggest soccer publication in Africa. How have you found Mzansi in the time you have been here?

Eva Nga: Thank you very much, Sir. Well, this is a great country with friendly people. Here fans of other teams greet you and some would ask you to take pictures with them even though they do not support your team. It is not easy to go and play in another country because you leave everything behind – family, friends and everyone you are associated with.

BN: Even more so now, it must be, with COVID-19 in our midst...

EN: Yeah, I was going to say that. However, we do not have a choice, man. We have to be indoors until it passes. The management of the team is doing all they can to motivate us. They are giving us moral support during this difficult period by constantly checking up on us. That gives us hope. My mother and my father call me every day to check if I am okay. They want to know everything that I am doing and whom I am doing it with. They are very concerned about me. I also talk to my wife and my son every day.

BN: So, for the benefit of those who have only just started to hear the name Eva Nga this season, tell us about where it all started for you.

Ha, ha, ha, I started playing for my uncle’s team, Black Stars FC, back home in Cameroon. It is a third division semi-professional team. From there I was signed by a club called Stade Mandji (in Gabon). That is where it all started for me. Unfortunately, I never really played (professionally) in my home country.

BN: You made waves in Mozambique, scoring 24 league goals for Costa do Sol last season.

EN: Yes, I scored goals there. We had a mission as a club, and that was to win the league last season. To be honest, I wouldn’t have done it alone; it was a team effort. We had togetherness there and that is very key for any team to succeed.

BN: How did you find yourself at the southernmost tip of Africa, at Bidvest Wits?

EN: I was not aware that Wits wanted me. I was sleeping one day and one agent called me and asked me if I would be interested in coming to South Africa to play for Wits. I thought it was just a joke. I said to him, “I cannot say anything to you regarding that, but I can give you the number of the club’s president so that you can talk to him.” He said, “Please do that.” I sent him the number. I was not taking this seriously because I was looking forward to winning the league in Mozambique and also winning the Top Goalscorer award. I was shocked when the president called me before one of our games and told me that coach Gavin Hunt would be in attendance and he was coming to watch me. He said, “Do not put pressure on yourself and play your normal game.” I said, “Okay.” He came and, clearly, he was happy because he called me the following day, telling me that I would have to come to South Africa. Everyone has treated me like a brother since I arrived here and I am very happy. I have not experienced any problems.

BN: You have travelled a lot for a 27-year-old, the Clever Boys being your 10th club.

EN: Look, I always discuss with my parents whenever an opportunity avails itself and I always take their advice, even though I make my own decisions. I also like travelling because being away from everyone I know has made me grow and to be able to make my own decisions.

BN: You played for two teams in Portugal, Leixoes in Liga Pro (second tier) and Amora FC in AF Setúbal (First Division). Tell us about your experiences there.

EN: Yeah, I played in Portugal. If you are in some countries and you are from Africa, sometimes you struggle with the weather. In Portugal, it was winter and it was very cold… I have never felt that cold in my life! I could not cope with the cold, so much that I thought I was going to die. I had never played football in cold conditions like that. I remember my first game for Leixoes was against SC Braga. The second game was against FC Porto and I got injured because my body could not adjust to the cold weather. Things didn’t go well there and I only stayed in Leixoes for six months, joining Amora FC, where things were a little better because I played 27 games and scored 11 goals. It was cold even in Amora, but not as cold as in Matosinhos (the town where Leixoes SC is located). I wasted my time there (in Portugal) though.

BN: Why do you say that?

EN: Well, the thing is, I was playing there and playing football for free, looking at what I was getting. There was no money there and that is why I decided to come back to Africa. I can tell you now, I didn’t even think twice to join Costa do Sol because what they offered me was much more than what I was getting in Portugal. I discussed it with my wife and my dad and we all agreed that I should come back to Africa and restart my career. I am happy I took that decision. In all honesty, I would be lying to you if I said I had a good experience in Portugal. When I came back to Africa, I told my wife and my parents that I did not come to Mozambique to stay for long. I wanted to stay for a year and move to a bigger league. My wife is from Mozambique. I am happy that I got there and scored 24 goals. We won the league and I won the Top Goalscorer award. Things went exactly as I planned – glory be to God for that. Now I am in South Africa and we will see what happens in the next season because this one is almost over. I am sure I am going to do well for my team next season – you can hold me to that.

BN: So, how big is the support for football in Portugal compared to what you’ve seen in Gabon, Mozambique and here?

EN: It is not the same, trust me. In Europe, they love football. By saying that, I don’t mean they do not love football here, but over there (Europe), the fans are very passionate about the game. It doesn’t really matter who is playing whom, the stadium is always full. Even when teams play friendly matches, the stadium is always full of fans.

BN: Going back to the point you made about “playing football for free”, what was the word from your agent during that time?

EN: Well, I did not have an agent. The agent who sent me to the clubs there is a guy called Paolo – pity I don’t know his surname. He always comes, watches games in Africa and sends players to Portugal. He is from Portugal. I told him I was not happy with my salary, but I could see that he was not honest and I would not be surprised if part of my salary was going to him even though we never had such an agreement.

“I thought it was just a joke.”

BN: Please elaborate on that statement.

EN: The guy was not honest. He lied to me by first saying to me I must go to Portugal to a team that would sign me immediately and when I got there, I had to stay for three weeks without a club because it turned out there was no such thing. I called him and told him, “I am going back to Africa because clearly you lied to me.” He came to my hotel and took me to Leixoes, who were playing in the second division at the time. I went there and

the coach liked me and signed me, but I can tell you now, the only thing I got was my salary. I never got a cent of my signing-on fee!

BN: How could that have happened?

EN:

The club said I must talk to the agent. I called him and he told me that teams in Portugal do not pay signing-on fees. Where have you ever heard that before? He told me that he was busy looking for a better team for me. I knew that he was lying. He took that money for himself because I even did my own research and found out that he was lying to me. I called him again and told him that he was lying and that I was not stupid. I told him that I would not work with him again. He said many things about how he would help me. I said, “No, my friend, thank you, I will never work with you ever again.”

BN: The whole experience must have felt like a dagger to your heart. You must have felt cheated.

EN:

I was really angry and sad at the same time. I mean, the salary was very little and the signing-on fee was going to help me, but Paolo decided to take it for himself.

BN: All this happened at Leixoes, right?

EN:

Yes, and, fortunately, I left them to join Amora and things were a little bit better there, but the problem was the salary even there. Everything was fine there besides the salary. The other problem was that whenever we lost a game, the owner of the club would be very angry and even talk to us like we were nobodies. If you were a striker and you didn’t score and the team went on to lose the game, everyone would be looking at you. He would sometimes speak to me unmannerly and I didn’t like that. I am one person who respects everyone, but I do not respect people who do not respect me. I called him one day after a game we lost where he shouted at me and made it look like I was the one who made the team lose. I would understand if I had missed chances or something like that, but never… we were on the back foot in that game and couldn’t even create chances. I told him that I would not respect him if he didn’t respect me. I am not perfect, but I do my best to respect others.

No, he never responded and that is when I decided to leave and come back to Africa.

BN: What lessons did you draw from this? EN:

One thing more than anything else… in football, you need to have a heart, a strong heart. Another thing is you should not just trust everyone.

BN: Talking of trust, after that Paolo saga, who represents you now? EV:

I do not have an agent yet, but there’s a guy who helps me here, Charles Dominguez. He is my representative, but not my agent yet. He will be my agent soon though. We will sign a contract because I am happy with how he handles my matters.

BN: Before we let you go, there’ve been a few Cameroonians who’ve been successful in the Absa Premiership, like Roger Feutmba, Patrick Tignyemb, Eyong Enoh and Bienvenu Tipa. A number of others, though, fell short of the expectations…

EN: I think I will be among the successful ones, but I cannot only say that with my mouth, but rather by what I do on the field of play. In football, hard work always talks for you. You need to respect the coach and everyone, work hard and everything will fall into place.

BN: What would you say are the differences between Mzansi’s topflight and the Mozambican Premier League?

EN:

The football is different. The PSL is fast, while the Mozambican league is very physical. The fields here are big, but there it’s compact. There is not much space there, whereas here there’s too much space.

BN: We hope you use that space to good effect, to position yourself well in front of goal and evade the clutches of defenders and score many more goals. Talk to you again soon.

EN: Thank you very much for talking to me. God bless you. ❐

“I never got a cent of my signing-on fee!”