Pedro Banga
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 July 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Cabinda, Angola[1] | ||
| Date of death | 31 December 2023 (aged 20) | ||
| Place of death | Luanda, Angola | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2019 | A.F.A. | ||
| 2019–2022 | Mamelodi Sundowns | ||
| 2022–2023 | Marítimo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Marítimo U23 | 15 | (0) |
| 2023 | Marítimo B | 16 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2019 | Angola U17 | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Pedro Banga (14 July 2003 – 31 December 2023) was an Angolan footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Banga started his youth career at the Academia de Futebol de Angola, before joining the academy of Mamelodi Sundowns in 2019.[3] In September 2022, he signed for Portuguese club Marítimo,[4] where he played 15 matches for the club's under-23 team in the 2022–23 season.[5][6] After the under-23 team folded at the end of the season, he began playing for Marítimo's B team,[4] making 16 appearances.[7]
International career
In 2019, he represented the Angola under-17 national team at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil,[2] where he made two appearances in the group stage against New Zealand and Brazil.[8]
Death
In December 2023, Banga travelled to his hometown of Luanda for both Christmas and New Years.[4] On 31 December, while playing in a football match there,[6] he collapsed on the field due to a cardiac arrest.[5] He was taken to the nearby Hospital Do Prenda, where he died shortly after, at the age of 20.[6]
The week after his death, his Marítimo B teammates paid tribute to him in their next match, a 1–1 draw against AD Camacha in the 2023–24 Campeonato de Portugal.[9]
References
- ↑ Díaz, Luis G. (2 January 2024). "Muere repentinamente Pedro Banga, futbolista de 20 años ex del Marítimo" [Pedro Banga, 20-year-old footballer formerly of Marítimo, dies suddenly]. Okdiario (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- 1 2 "IFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019™ List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ "Muere a los 20 años el futbolista Pedro Banga mientras jugaba una pachanga entre amigos" [Footballer Pedro Banga dies at age 20 while playing a casual game with friends]. ABC (in Spanish). 2 January 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Riggio, Salvatore (1 February 2024). "Pedro Banga muore in campo a 20 anni il calciatore dell'Angola" [Angolan footballer Pedro Banga dies on the pitch at the age of 20.]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- 1 2 Pacifico, Marianna (1 January 2024). "Ex-jogador do Marítimo Pedro Banga morre aos 20 anos" [Former Marítimo player Pedro Banga dies at age 20.]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Pedro Banga, ex-Marítimo, morre aos 20 anos" [Pedro Banga, former Marítimo player, dies at age 20.]. CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). 2 January 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ Pediglieri, Alessio (2 January 2024). "Pedro Banga collassa e muore in campo a soli 20 anni: era una promessa del calcio africano" [Pedro Banga collapses and dies on the pitch at just 20 years old: he was a promising African footballer.]. Fanpage.it (in Italian). Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ "Pedro Banga". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ Vasconcelos, Gonçalo (8 January 2024). "Jogadores do Marítimo B homenageiam Pedro Banga" [Marítimo B players pay tribute to Pedro Banga]. Record (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 25 July 2026.