Kaizer Chiefs have on Thursday confirmed that defender Siyabonga Ngezana will be leaving the club to join Romanian Lige 1 powerhouse Steaua Bucharest, who will compete in the Uefa Conference League next season.
Ngezana joins the 26-time Romanian champions for an undisclosed fee, after spending seven seasons as a first team player, having made a goal scoring debut against Mamelodi Sundowns in 2017.
In a statement, sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr said the club is saddened by the departure of the 25-year-old tenacious youth development academy graduate and wished him the best in Romania.
“There is always a tinge of sadness when a player who has risen through the ranks here leaves the club,” said Motaung Jr.
“However, Siya has had a good and substantial career at Kaizer Chiefs and feels the time is right to take up a new challenge.
“We appreciate his wholehearted commitment to Amakhosi and wish him well on his exciting adventure to Europe.”
Ngezana Says Goodbye to Amakhosi!
Kaizer Chiefs bid farewell to defender, Siyabonga Ngezana, who has signed for Romanian Lige 1 powerhouse, Fotbal Club FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharesti.https://t.co/ektYRGBARu.
We wish him all the best!#ThankYouSiya #Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/oCDTTEDciF
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) June 15, 2023
Ngezana becomes the second Chiefs development player to be sold to an overseas league in the last six months, after Njabulo Blom who joined St. Louis City SC in the Major League Soccer in the United States of America.
The Vaal-triangle born player made a total of 123 appearances (23 in his last season) in all competitions for the Glamour Boys over seven seasons.
He represented the national under-20 and under-23 teams and won two full international caps for Bafana Bafana.
The muscular centre back’s most consistent campaign came in the 2020/21 season, where he played regularly in domestic competition and featured in almost all Amakhosi’s fixtures in the lead-up to the Caf Champions League final.
Back in March 2021, Ngezana signed a three-year deal with the option of a further two-year extension but, after completing just two of those years, the time has come for both club and player to pursue different paths forward.
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