AmaZulu FC's Bongani Zungu has opened up about the emotional toll a failed transfer to a La Liga club took on him, causing him to briefly lose his passion for football.
In the 2019/20 La Liga season, while at Amiens SC, ‘Ben 10' attracted interest from RCD Mallorca.
Zungu confirmed he agreed to personal terms and even underwent a medical, but Amiens ultimately blocked the move on deadline day, causing the deal to fall through at the last minute.
Zungu shared that Mallorca's coach, Vicente Moreno, had already detailed his role in the team, making Amiens' decision even more crushing.
He described feeling demoralized for a significant period after returning to France, where he was met with boos from Amiens supporters aware of his desire to leave.
Had the transfer materialized, Zungu would have joined an elite group as the seventh South African to play in La Liga, alongside names like Quinton Fortune and Benni McCarthy.
‘I LOST LOVE FOR FOOTBALL’
“I’ve never spoken out about that but that one of the things that made me lose love for football,” said Zungu during the interview with FARPost.
“That broke my heart. The deal was done, I went to Mallorca, I did the medicals in the morning. I remember I had I arrived Thursday night. Friday morning, I had medicals.
“We had to rush because La Liga offices were going to close at 12. So, I passed the medicals but the Sporting Director of Amiens sent a message that the president doesn’t want me to leave the club.
“And I was there, sitting with the coach and the Mallorca Sporting Director. The coach was already telling me how he wants me to play and all of that.
“And obviously being contracted to Amiens, I had to respect their decision. But that broke my heart and I really lost love for football. I was alone that side with my family in South Africa.
“The deal didn’t materialise and I had to go back to France. When I returned, obviously with the fans knowing that I wanted to leave, they were booing me. It was difficult and it broke my heart.
“It changed a lot of things in my mind about how I see football and people who are involved in it.”
