Divine Lunga

There is sure to be plenty of suitors for the Lamontville Golden Arrows defender at the end of the season as one of the hottest properties in the PSL.

From shutting out Mohammed Salah at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals to establishing himself as a dependable left-back with plenty of mobility, Divine Lunga has done enough to earn himself a move away from Lamontville Golden Arrows. The interest in the Zimbabwean international has been there for a long time and his form suggests he can fulfil his ambition to play for any of the so-called ‘Big Three’. He spoke to KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo.

Such is the relevance of a road named A. Mazibisa in the township of Mpopoma in Bulawayo that it has now fed the Premier Soccer League with its third footballer.

First there was Bhekithemba Ndlovu at Moroka Swallows, Platinum Stars and Mpumalanga Black Aces, before Khumbulani Banda at Maritzburg United and now Divine Lunga at Lamontville Golden Arrows.

The 25-year-old Lunga joined Abafana Bes’thende from Chicken Inn ahead of the 2018-19 season and quickly established himself in the KwaZulu-Natal side.

“Super [Ndlovu] played with my uncles and has always been my mentor because as a kid he was the guy we knew as being a professional footballer in our street,” Lunga says as he opens up about his journey to the top.

“He used to bring us boots and shorts as a way of encouraging us. He told us that boys like ourselves must always be sweating. Later, Banda used to wake me up as early as 5am for extra training at our local grounds. Even the time when he was playing for Maritzburg it was the same routine when he was back home for the off-season,” says Lunga.

Lunga has been so impressive this season that the platform provided by Golden Arrows has shrunk, with Gauteng teams calling his name.

Sundowns & Chiefs links

Mamelodi Sundowns has been mentioned as possible destination, while Kaizer Chiefs have been admirers for a while after having initially shown interest three years ago and have kept themselves in the loop.

“I suppose like every other player, it is also my wish to make my performances open further opportunities and if it means at a bigger club locally, then so be it. Every player wants to play for a big team and I’m no different.

“Look, in my second year here at Arrows I was wanted by a team in Turkey, but I couldn’t leave because the club didn’t have another left-back at the time. It was the same situation that I had when a move to Denmark didn’t happen while I was still with Chicken Inn.

“We spoke with the bosses and agreed that I will be allowed to leave at a later stage but then another thing is that they also made sure that I was happy here. Why would I have wanted to leave a place of happiness so early?

“It is not every big team that will give you what you want and keep you happy but then right now I feel I would want to move to Europe or one of the biggest teams locally. You know in football you have to play going forward,” says Lunga.

“Arrows had wanted me from as far back as 2016 when we played in the [CAF] Champions League against Sundowns, but the move didn’t