Name: Chisamba Lungu
Age: 31
Caps: 42
AFCON: 4 (2012, 2013, 2012, 2015)
Honours: African Cup of Nations winner -2012
Nickname: Chisamba-dihno, Samba
Where is he? Still active as player at Zanaco
Jersey no. 3
Position: Defender, Midfielder
Previous Clubs: Kafue FC (Kafue Celtic), Zanaco, Baia Zugdidi (Georgia), Ural (Russia), Buildcon, Nkana,
Last Match: v Algeria (2017 -World Cup qualifier)
Debut: v Tanzania (2010)
Brazilian Samba Like Zambia winger who nearly played for Georgia went to the 2012 Africa Cup as a makeshift left back
In 2008, Chisamba Lungu got to work with Herve Renard ahead of the Zambia Under-20 tie against Egypt in Chingola.
He was dropped together with Nathan Sinkala.
With Renard contemplating playing both Stopilla Sunzu and Justine Zulu in central defence at Nchanga Stadium ahead of Moses Mulambia and Gift Sakuwaha, Sinkala was recalled but there was no room for Chisamba.
The following year (2009) then aged 18, Chisamba travelled to Eastern Europe were he linked up with little known Emmanuel Mbola.
While Mbola knew who Chisamba was, having watched him mesmerize the crowds at the Zambian Super League matches with Zanaco, Mbola’s only fair share of experience was the two CHAN fixtures against Angola.
It was during the Zambian duo’s time at Pyunik Yerevan in Armenia met and trained with a young Henrik Mkhikatarayn who was later to turn out for English giants Manchester United and Arsenal.
Mbola signed for the Armenian club while Chisamba had to head to Georgia where he clinched a deal with a low profile side Baia Zugdidi with his initial salary of around 350 Euros.
Sunzu and Jimmy Chisenga joined him in George but the former was deemed not a midfielder.
“Sunzu is not mobile enough for a midfielder. We could have tried him in central defence but we are covered in that position,” read one of the scouting reports from the European agents.
For Chisenga, he instantly impressed but when he was offered the same terms like Chisamba, the then Red Arrows teenage full back considered the conditions derisory and refused to sign.
With the hope of having a fellow Zambian by his side in a foreign territory vanished like dew in the mid-day sun, Chisamba soldiered and by January 2010, the club decided to increase his pay to 1,500 Euros.
Renowned for his technical skills, creativity, dribbling ability and, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes as well as the ability to create goals, the Georgian fans were enamored.
With his playing style drawing comparisons with global and Brazilian icon, Ronaldinho, Chisamba simply became known as ‘’Samba,’’ to them.
The Brazil national team is famously known as the Samba Boys.
The Georgian fans went further to call for the infusion of some Samba in the junior Gerogia national team.
The authorities obliged and Chisamba was called up and he spent time in camp in Tbilisi.
As the paperwork was be done [apparently even a Georgian passport was issued], Chisamba’s handlers in Lusaka advised him not to ahead and play for Georgia.
“We had tried to get him into the Chipolopolo but Renard kept on refusing. He still considered him a lazy player who didn’t work hard for the team,’’ the handlers revealed.
Fast track to July 2010, Chisamba was on the move and this time to Yekeringburg, Russia where he signed with Ural with a monthly pay of 5, 000 Euros.
That was more than any other Zambian youngster in Europe had ever commanded at the time.
With former Italy and Juventus defender Dario Bonetti, now in charge of the Chipolopolo, Chisamba got his breakthrough in November 2010 as he was part of the Cecafa Cup in Tanzania.
Coincidently he was back in the country for his winter break and the national team was regrouping. A word was put for him and he joined.
He impressed on his debut and assisted Kennedy Mudenda’s goal.
Unfortunately, he suffered a metatarsal fracture on match day 3.
And Bonetti forgot about him for the next 8-9 months during the CAF 2012 African Cup of Nations until Renard returned in October 2011.
With the Frenchman trying to make peace with the demanding fans [after dumping Zambia for Angola for a reported $100, 000), he decided to call a host of youngsters – Bruce Musakanya, Ronald ‘Sate Sate’ Kampamba, Evans Kangwa, Nathan Sinkala, Lawrence Chungu, Stephen Kabamba, and Chisamba.
Zambia had a week long camp at Sunset Stadium before a trip in India. The trip to India gave Renard an insight of the youngsters like Sinkala and the likes of Kennedy Mudenda and Joseph Sitali.
It was during that trip that Chisamba felt the wrath of the full wrath of the fiery Frenchman.
From inside Chipolopolo camp, Chisamba is believed to have not followed tactical instructions.
A fed up Renard had seen enough. “You think just because you are the only one from Europe you can do whatever you want. Get out of the pitch! Forget about being in my AFCON squad!
Chisamba obliged and left the pitch, and watched the remaining session from the sidelines cursing.
The cursing and mourning continued even after the session continued but Hichani Himoonde and Felix Katongo reprimanded him. Despite Hichani and Chisamba having a histiry of not being in good terms, the defender told him off and ordered him to apologize to Renard.
Chisamba heeded Hichani’s advice and approached Renard.
“No, I am not going to take your advice. You have to show me on the pitch tomorrow,’’ retorted the hard to please gaffer.
Came match day against Goa select, Chisamba was again sulking but this time to himself as he watched Bruce Musakanya score a hat-trick.
Next game, he was remained stuck on the bench but luckily with Zambia down, Renard had a change of heart and handed Samba the chance to shine.
He took the chance with both hands and scored a gem of a goal reminiscent of the Samba magic Ronaldinho produced against Chelsea in the Champions League [204/05 season].
With a week before the team’s final pre-tournament camp in South Africa, Renard needed to solve the final jigsaw of the puzzle of the left side of the Zambia machine.
With Mbola banned, there was an outcry for natural left-footed player.
Lawrence Chungu and Stephen Kabamba failed the auditions at Sunset Stadium, Renard turned to Chisamba, and the then Ural forward raised his hand to answer the call.
“If you want to go AFCON, then you need to train hard as a left back,” Renard said.
Chisamba didn’t complain and just smiled as this was the second time he was being asked to play in that position.
The first time was when he attended trials in Russia with Sinkala in November 2009.
“I see you as [Michel] Bastos. He also started as winger but he is playing left back at Lyon,” the Frenchman said as he tried to encourage the Kafue native to emulate the Brazil player.
Boom! Zambia against Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse led Senegal in the opening match of the 2012 Africa Cup for the Copper Bullets.
The most skillful and inexperienced player was playing left back against Africa’s top side.
Samba went on to start the next three games in that position until the semi-final against Ghana when he came off the bench.
He was restored to the starting line up in the final against Ivory Coast but this time around, he moved up as a winger as the Frenchman code-named the ‘’Fox’’ tinkered his tactical picks probably in a bid to make his side complex and difficult to read.
Thereafter Chisamba went on to feature at the 2013 and 2015 African Cup of Nations.
At club, having spent 7 years at Ural, he moved to Turkish side Alanyaspor in 2017 but was only there for 6 months.
In 2018, Chisamba returned home aged 27 years old, and joined big spending Buildcon in a mega deal.
After a season at the Ndola, he joined Nkana before settling at Zanaco.
God gift for we are player.