Orlando Pirates: Zungu opens up on surreal dream debut

Midfielder Nkanyiso Zungu has expressed his delight at finally making his Orlando Pirates debut having signed for the club in January.

Zungu debuted off the bench as a late sub in Orlando Pirates’ goalless draw with Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday 11 August 2020.

The 24-year-old playmaker arrived in Josef Zinabauer’s camp carrying an injury which prevented him from starting before lockdown imposed a six-month break on domestic football.

New recruit opens up

The lockdown held a silver lining for Zungu who was able to make his dream of playing for Orlando Pirates a reality after recovering from the niggling groin injury he brought with him when he joined from Stellenbosch FC in January. 

“This is the beginning of a new chapter for me at Pirates,” Zungu told the official Orlando Pirates website.

“It was a big day for me. Even though I came in towards the end of the match, I am grateful that I finally got my debut. My next focus is on getting more performances under my belt.

 “I am sure I echo the sentiments of many other players when I say that it feels good to be back. Especially someone like myself who has not played any official match after so long. You will recall that I joined the Club in January with an injury but after recovering we had the lockdown which delayed my debut even further. But I am not complaining, there’s no looking back only forward. I can only hope on getting more opportunities in future,” he added. 

Zungu concedes that playing his first game for Orlando Pirates in front of an empty Dobsonville stadium was far from ideal but he hopes it is just the first step in a great journey with the club.

A very strange Orlando Pirates dream

The young midfielder said the experience was a surreal one but par for the course in terms of what is happening in the world right now.

“I have always dreamt of playing in this fixture for iBhakaniya, and this is mainly due to the excitement surrounding this fixture for the football played as well as the vibe that the fans create,” Zungu added. 

“So for me it was very strange playing my dream fixture in an empty stadium but then again these are not normal times and we must get used to it,” Zungu concluded.

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