Striker swaps Sunday league for Champions League

Key points

• Manasse Kianga, 24, went from Sunday league football in Rotherham to Slovan Bratislava's Champions League squad.
• He scored an injury-time winner in the final qualifying round to help Slovan reach the league phase.
• A failed work permit bid forced him back to South Africa in 2024 before he moved across Europe to Slovakia.

Manasse Kianga, a 24-year-old South African forward, has gone from playing Sunday league football in Rotherham to being part of Slovan Bratislava's Champions League squad. He could make his debut in Europe's top club competition when the Slovakian champions host Stuttgart in their first home league-phase fixture.

Kianga helped Doncaster outfit Rossington Main win promotion to the ninth tier of English football in 2023. He later moved to Slovan, where he came off the bench to score an injury-time winner in the third and final qualifying round, sending the club into the Champions League.

From Rotherham to Slovakia

Kianga moved to Rotherham around 2017 and played for Rossington Main after his brother, Bobby, briefly represented the club. Rossington boss Ben Hunter said he loved Kianga straight away after a trial and described him as a great guy who always played with a smile.

Kianga also studied business and accounting at Thomas Rotherham College, whose former students include Jamie Vardy. Assistant principal Chris Walls called him a popular and outstanding student and football player who was overlooked by professional clubs.

The world was his oyster, I really believed he could have made it pro in England

— Ben Hunter

Work permit setback

Difficulties obtaining a permanent work permit meant Kianga had to return to South Africa in 2024. Hunter travelled to court in Bradford to support him in an unsuccessful attempt to stay in England.

Hunter said he believed Kianga could have made it as a professional in England. After going back to South Africa, Kianga made a journey across Europe and ended up at Slovan Bratislava.