Luke Bruno Milanzi (born 4 December 1994), variously known as Luka Milanzi[2] or Bruno Milanzi,[3] is a former Malawian footballer.

Luka Milanzi
Personal information
Full name Luke Bruno Milanzi[1]
Date of birth (1994-12-04) 4 December 1994 (age 29)
Place of birth Blantyre, Malawi
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2009 Eagle Strikers
2009–2010 ESCOM United
2010–2017 TP Mazembe
2012Don Bosco (loan)
2012NAPSA Stars (loan)
2013ZESCO United (loan)
2014–2016Mighty Wanderers (loan)
2016Big Bullets (loan)
2017 Big Bullets
2017Masters Security (loan)
2017–2018 Blue Eagles
International career
2009 Malawi U17 7 (2)
2010 Malawi 1 (0)
Managerial career
Bright Stars
2022 Rumphi United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career edit

Milanzi joined Congolese side TP Mazembe in 2010[4] from ESCOM United in suspicious circumstances, with FIFA having to intervene after Milanzi had signed a 3+12-year deal, despite international rules stating players under 18 could only sign 3-year deals.[5] The two sides' documentation reportedly did not match either, with rumours of Milanzi lying about his age, a common occurrence in African football. Because of this, when he called up to the Malawi national team in 2010, Milanzi had to travel through Zambia before entering Malawi, and often has trouble journeying between countries due to his questionable documents.[5]

In January 2012, TP Mazembe loaned Milanzi to its affiliate CS Don Bosco.[6] Milanzi remained under contract with TP Mazembe. However, he did not break into the first team, and would be loaned to NAPSA Stars and ZESCO United.[5][7] In 2014, Milanzi was cleared to play for the Mighty Wanderers of his hometown, Blantyre,[8][9] after initially not being able to sign due to preconditions on his loan release.[10] He impressed during his time with The Nomads, who then extended his loan deal in 2015.[11]

He signed on loan for the Big Bullets in 2016 from TP Mazembe.[12]

He joined Masters Security in April 2017 in a loan deal from Big Bullets.[13] However, due to an issue with wage payment, he left in late 2017 to join Blue Eagles.[14] He played for the Eagles for a few months before being released.[15]

Shortly after his release from the Eagles, Milanzi retired prematurely from football, citing an injury sustained during his time with TP Mazembe.[16]

International career edit

Milanzi played for the Malawi under 17's at the 2009 African U-17 Championship, despite supposedly only being 14 at the time. He also played at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where he made three appearances and scored a consolation goal in a 4–1 loss to Spain.[3]

He made his one and only senior appearance in 2010, a second-half substitute in a friendly against Zimbabwe.[17]

He was called up to the squad again in 2015 while playing for the Mighty Wanderers.[18]

Coaching career edit

In 2020, Milanzi went into coaching, attending a course to obtain a Local D license and coaching at local Mzuzu club Bright Stars.[16] He later went on to coach Rumphi United in the Super League of Malawi.[19]

Career statistics edit

International edit

As of matches played 16 December 2019.[20]
National team Year Apps Goals
Malawi 2010 1 0
Total 1 0

References edit

  1. ^ "Malawi under 17 squad" (PDF). FIFA. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Luke Milanzi". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Bruno Milanzi". FIFA. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  4. ^ Peter Kanjere (27 August 2013). "Luka Milanzi Breaks Silence". Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Bryn May (5 February 2013). "The Curious Case Of Luka Milanzi". Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Le point (presse) de Lamine" (in French). TP Mazembe. 23 January 2012.
  7. ^ "Luka Milanzi Hopes for Better Fortunes at Zesco Utd". 18 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  8. ^ "TP Mazembe Clear Luka Milanzi". 10 July 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Luka Milanzi cleared to play for Wanderers". 9 July 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Nomads to Send Back Milanzi". 5 June 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  11. ^ "Malawi: Be Forward Wanderers Seeking to Extend Luka Milanzi's Loan Spell". 23 March 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  12. ^ "Big Bullets Await Milanzi Clearance". 22 September 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  13. ^ "Masters Security guns on ahead of maiden league appearance". Malawi 24. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  14. ^ "Milanzie dumps Masters Security to join Blue Eagles". Nyasa Times. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Nyasa BB kick out Zakazaka, Nyirenda and Kamlete". Nyasa Times. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  16. ^ a b Zgambo, Mike Lyson (22 December 2020). "Former Flames player Bruno Milanzi ventures into coaching". malawi24.com.
  17. ^ Hwata, Augustine (4 March 2010). "Zimbabwe/Malawi: Warriors Edge Malawi". The Herald.
  18. ^ "Mtawali Drops Fischer, Time for Malawi Career - Too Old to Play National Team". 20 September 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  19. ^ "Rumphi United bow out of elite league". malawi24.com. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  20. ^ Luke Milanzi at National-Football-Teams.com