Failed Wonderkid #14- Emmanuel Mayuka

Biodata

Full Name: Emmanuel Mayuka

Nationality: Zambian

Date of Birth: 21 November 1990

Position: Striker

Current Club: Green Buffaloes

Current Market Price: 400k Euro (Updated on Jul 2017)

Highest Market Price: 6.50mil Euro (Feb 2012)

Former Clubs:

2006- 2008 Kabwe Warriors

2008- 2010 Maccabi Tel Aviv

2010- 2012 Young Boys

2012- 2015 Southampton

2013- 2014 Sochaux (loan)

2015- 2016 Metz

2016- 2017 Zamalek

2017- 2018 Hapoel Ra’anana

International Career:

2007- Zambia

Achievement:

Maccabi Tel Aviv

2008- 2009 Toto Cup

Zamalek

2016 Egypt Cup

Zambia

2012 Africa Cup of Nation

Career

The underdog story is always the scenario that excites most of the neutral football fans in every single competition. In 2012, Zambia had achieved the impossible mission as they beat the strong Ivory Coast side in the 2012 AFCON to win the whole tournament. All of a sudden, Zambia had been written down in the history book of the African football and some of the football players had drawn the attention from the whole footballing world internationally, including this young talent that also won the top scorer of that tournament too. He is Emmanuel Mayuka.

Emmanuel Mayuka began his footballing career at the age of 11 at the Lusaka Academy. At the age of 17, he joined one of the greatest clubs in Zambia, Kabwe Warriors. He flourished in the team in which he scored 15 goals in 23 games. Mayuka’s goal scoring record had attracted the attention of the national team setup and was selected to the Zambia under-17 national team. He even gets his senior national team debut in the 2007 COSAFA Cup against Mozambique. He even scored in his debut. In September 2008, Mayuka signed for the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv. His second season was the peak of his career in Israel. In which is scored 7 goals and 3 assists in 29 matches in all competition.

His goal-scoring talent was not going unnoticed in this continent. On May 2010, Mayuka was confirmed to sign a five-year contract with Swiss club Young Boys as the replacement of Moscow bound Seydou Doumbia. Mayuka fits in Doumbia's shoes in Young Boys quite well. He not only continues his red hot goal-scoring form in Switzerland, but he also discovers the chance creation opportunity as well. In his first two seasons in Switzerland, Mayuka had registered 25 and 20 goal contributions in each season. He had established himself as the main attacker at a young age.

His career reached the peak at the 2012 Edition of AFCON tournament as he helped Zambia to win the tournament as an underdog. His 3 goals and 1 assist contributions is one of the main reason that Zambia achieved the unthinkable. The most memorable moment in this tournament for him is he scored the winner in the semifinal match against Ghana. However, things escalated quickly that even Mayuka himself couldn’t handle. On August 2012, Mayuka agreed to join Southampton. His playing time on the south coast of England was very limited as he only played 333 minutes throughout the whole debut season. Mayuka was loaned out to Sochaux to help them to prevent relegation. Unfortunately, his 4 goals contribution could not help them to prevent relegation. Mayuka has subsequently gone back to Southampton on the next season.

Things still didn’t go on his plan as Mayuka expected in the new season in Southampton. His playing time is still very limited. Things become worse as the Southampton manager at the time, Ronald Koeman stated that Mayuka has no future at the club and was removed from the first team. He was sold to the Ligue 2 side, Metz in the following season. After scored twice in just 10 games, Mayuka was moved on to the Egyptian side, Zamalek. His contribution to this Egyptian side is also very limited in his two seasons there. After his stay in Zamalek, Mayuka returned to Israel to join Hapoel Ra’anana on a one-year basis. In April 2019, Mayuka returned to Zambia to joined Green Buffaloes.

Verdict

Disappointment Rate: 8/10. Mayuka’s career emerged and faded in a relatively fast way. Zambia will not forget his contribution in helping their team to win the 2012 AFCON tournament. However, Mayuka will be always lived in his former glory as his career progression after the tournament can only be described as disastrous.