Zambian teenage sensation Joseph “Sabobo” Banda has signed a five-year contract with Swiss top-flight club FC Zurich from Athletico Lusaka.
The move follows successful trials at the club in May of last year, when he was part of the youth team that won the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup 2023 as part of the assessment.
Banda, who also attended trials at FC Barcelona in Spain in 2022, promised to make an impression in Switzerland in an exclusive interview with BolaNews.
“I want to go to Europe and succeed; I don’t want to come back. I’ll put in a lot of effort and achieve my dreams,” he declared.
The 18-year-old, who spent the entire season on loan at Nkwazi in the Super League, also revealed that his single mother always encouraged him to continue working hard.
“I was hurt and always wondered why my friends were not coming back after attending trials in Europe and it was only me who was returning home.
“It affected me a lot, but my mother has been telling me to continue working hard as my time will come.”
Banda is one of the most exciting prospects in Zambian football, having shone at the 2021 U-17 Cosafa Cup where he was named player of the tournament.
Despite Zambia losing 2-1 to Angola in the final of that tournament, he emerged as the joint-top scorer with five goals in four matches.
