Clifford Mulenga
Encyclopedia
Clifford Mulenga is a Zambia
n footballer who plays as a midfielder
for Bloemfontein Celtic F.C. in the South Africa
n Premier Soccer League
.
2006 African Nations Cup team, who finished third in group C in the first round of competition, thus failing to secure qualification for the quarter-finals.
Mulenga is known to be a quick and creative winger whose qualities have been praised as rare and akin to Zambian great Kalusha Bwalya
. When playing for the Zambian u-20s he caught the eye of several European clubs most notably Spanish giants Real Madrid
and PSV Eindhoven. His silky skills were demonstrated especially against the Nigeria
n u-20s at the African Youth Championships when his team lost in the semi-finals, a game which saw him give a man of the match performance only to be blighted by receiving a red card as a result of a petulant altercation with one of his opponents.
Prior to the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations a dispute arose as to which club Mulenga belonged to Pretoria University FC claimed he was on their books however he caused controversy with the Zambian press when the nation's football authority FAZ, announced he was to join Israeli side Maccabi Petach Tikva FC from Orgryte IS
the Swedish
side which acquired him on loan from his university in Pretoria.
The deal with Maccabi Petach Tikva FC fell through and he signed for Premier soccer league team Bidvest Wits.
In July 2009 he was trial by Maccabi Petach Tikva FC again but the club decided to not sign him. He consequently signed for the Mpumalanga Black Aces and has earned the nickname 'Master'. He is currently playing for Bloemfontein Celtic.
Clifford is no relation to Jacob Mulenga
who plays for FC Utrecht in the Netherlands.
and Nigeria’s Oseni Gani both of whom have been touted as future African stars.
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
n footballer who plays as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for Bloemfontein Celtic F.C. in the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n Premier Soccer League
Premier Soccer League
Premier Soccer League is the trading name of the National Soccer League of South Africa. The top league is the ABSA Premiership, sponsored by ABSA...
.
Career
Mulenga was part of the ZambianZambia national football team
The Zambia national football team represents the country of Zambia in the sport of association football and is governed by the Football Association of Zambia. Before independence they were known as the Northern Rhodesia national football team. The side is nicknamed Chipolopolo as copper is one of...
2006 African Nations Cup team, who finished third in group C in the first round of competition, thus failing to secure qualification for the quarter-finals.
Mulenga is known to be a quick and creative winger whose qualities have been praised as rare and akin to Zambian great Kalusha Bwalya
Kalusha Bwalya
Kalusha Bwalya , known as simply Kalusha, is a Zambian footballer and coach. He is Zambia's most capped player, all-time top goalscorer, and is regarded as the greatest Zambian player to play the game...
. When playing for the Zambian u-20s he caught the eye of several European clubs most notably Spanish giants Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
and PSV Eindhoven. His silky skills were demonstrated especially against the Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n u-20s at the African Youth Championships when his team lost in the semi-finals, a game which saw him give a man of the match performance only to be blighted by receiving a red card as a result of a petulant altercation with one of his opponents.
Prior to the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations a dispute arose as to which club Mulenga belonged to Pretoria University FC claimed he was on their books however he caused controversy with the Zambian press when the nation's football authority FAZ, announced he was to join Israeli side Maccabi Petach Tikva FC from Orgryte IS
Örgryte IS
Örgryte IS, also commonly referred to as ÖIS, is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg.-History:The club was founded on 4 December 1887 and participated in the first football match in Sweden on 22 May 1892. Örgryte IS has won 12 national championship titles and one national cup title. After...
the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
side which acquired him on loan from his university in Pretoria.
The deal with Maccabi Petach Tikva FC fell through and he signed for Premier soccer league team Bidvest Wits.
In July 2009 he was trial by Maccabi Petach Tikva FC again but the club decided to not sign him. He consequently signed for the Mpumalanga Black Aces and has earned the nickname 'Master'. He is currently playing for Bloemfontein Celtic.
Clifford is no relation to Jacob Mulenga
Jacob Mulenga
Jacob Mulenga is a Zambian football striker. He currently plays for FC Utrecht.- External links:**...
who plays for FC Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Honours
On 2 February 2008 Mulenga was named The 2007 Glo-CAF Young Player of the Year beating off competition from Congo Brazzaville’s Franchel IbaraFranchel Ibara
Franchel Ibara is a footballer from Congo who played for Étoile du Congo before moving to FC Sochaux. He scored a goal from a penalty in the 59th minute against Austria in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada on the 2nd of July.Franchel's brother Guillaume plays in the Belgian provincial...
and Nigeria’s Oseni Gani both of whom have been touted as future African stars.
External links
- Career history at National Football Teams