Ezechiel Banzuzi (born 16 February 2005) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Belgian Pro League club OH Leuven. Born in the Netherlands, he is of Congolese descent.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 February 2005 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Zwijndrecht, Netherlands[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | OH Leuven | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| –2016 | VVGZ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | NAC Breda | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | NAC Breda | 51 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | OH Leuven | 47 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Netherlands U17 | 9 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Netherlands U18 | 5 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Netherlands U19 | 10 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Netherlands U21 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:08, 14 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 October 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
editNAC Breda
editBanzuzi progressed through VVGZ and NAC Breda's youth teams, joining the latter at age eleven. He made his professional debut for the club on 26 October 2021, in a cup match against VVV-Venlo, which NAC won on penalties. Banzuzi entered the match as a substitute in the 75th minute, replacing Pjotr Kestens.[2] At the age of sixteen, he appeared in ten matches for NAC without signing a professional contract, attracting interest from other clubs. On 8 January 2022, prior to a match against Eindhoven, Banzuzi hinted at a possible departure through a Snapchat post, which led to his demotion back to the youth team.[3] However, in February 2022, he was reinstated to the first team.[4][5]
Following this, Banzuzi saw increased playing time in league matches during the 2021–22 season, making a total of 20 appearances, nine of which were as a starter.[6] NAC Breda qualified for the promotion play-offs, where they were eliminated in the first round by ADO Den Haag.[7] In the subsequent season, Banzuzi again helped NAC reach the play-offs, where they initially advanced past MVV in the first round but were eliminated by Emmen.[8][9] During the regular season, he made 31 appearances, contributing five goals and four assists to the team's qualification for the play-off rounds.[6]
OH Leuven
editOn 20 June 2023, Banzuzi signed a three-year contract with Belgian Pro League club OH Leuven.[10][11]
International career
editBorn in the Netherlands, Banzuzi is of Congolese descent.[12]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 5 October 2024[6]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| NAC Breda | 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | 24 | 1 |
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | 28 | 2 | |
| Total | 51 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 59 | 7 | ||
| OH Leuven | 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 37 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 40 | 3 | |
| 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| Total | 47 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 98 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 109 | 11 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs
References
edit- ^ "De eerste van Banzuzi". De Klok (in Dutch). 95: 7. 19 November 2022.
- ^ "Ezechiel Banzuzi tekent op 17e verjaardag eerste profcontract bij NAC". Zundertse Bode (in Dutch). 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ Kerkdijk, Daniël Cabot (11 January 2022). "NAC-tiener uit selectie gezet na curieuze Snapchat-publicatie". Voetbalzone (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "Ezechiel Banzuzi tekent eerste profcontract". NAC Breda (in Dutch). 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ Blanco, Yadran (3 February 2022). "NAC sluit Banzuzi in de armen, middenvelder tekent alsnog contract en blijft in Breda". BN De Stem (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Ezechiel Banzuzi at Soccerway
- ^ Abbenhuijs, Marijn (14 May 2022). "ADO Den Haag beslist beladen tweestrijd met NAC Breda en blijft in de race voor promotie". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "NAC zet eerste stap richting eredivisie met overtuigende zege op MVV". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 27 May 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "Emmen neemt met zege op NAC eerste horde richting lijfsbehoud en staat in finale play-offs". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 3 June 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "Ezechiel Banzuzi vertrekt naar OH Leuven". NAC Breda (in Dutch). 20 June 2023. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "Eerste zomertransfer voor OH Leuven". OHL – Oud-Heverlee Leuven (in Dutch). 14 October 2024. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ Blanco, Yadran (2 November 2021). "Oudere broer waakt als een engel over NAC-talent Banzuzi" [Older brother watches over NAC talent Banzuzi . like an angel]. bndestem.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 May 2022. (subscription required)