Get to know new signing Ezechiel Banzuzi

In partnership with

RB Leipzig

·9 April 2025

Get to know new signing Ezechiel Banzuzi

Classic box-to-box midfielder

Ezechiel Banzuzi began playing for VVGZ Zwijndrecht, his hometown club, at the age of nine. At the age of 11, he joined the NAC Breda academy in 2016.
The 1.91m-tall midfielder has attracted plenty of attention in the Netherlands due to his box-to-box style of play. As a strong, right-footed player, he is able to provide both defensive stability and a threat on goal from the centre of the pitch.
Banzuzi joined Belgian Jupiler Pro League side OH Leuven ahead of the 2023/24 season. This season, he has featured a total of 31 times for the side across the Jupiler Pro League and Belgian Cup (3 goals, 6 assists).
Banzuzi made his debut for the Netherlands U21s six months ago, and has since featured a total of five times for the side. His most recent appearance came against Italy U21s in March 2025 (2-1 win). Prior to being called up to the U21s, Banzuzi had made his way up through the ranks of the Dutch youth sides.

Professional debut at age 16

Despite having just turned 20 on 16th February, Banzuzi has already made 130 competitive appearances at professional level. He ran out a total of 71 times for Belgian Jupiler Pro League side OH Leuven over the last two years.
Before moving to Belgium, Banzuzi was a regular starter at NAC Breda. He featured a total of 59 times in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie (second division in the Netherlands) and in domestic cup competitions for the side.
Banzuzi made his professional debut on 26th October 2021 at the age of 16, coming on in the 75th minute of NAC's cup match against VVV-Venlo (1-1 a.e.t., 5-3 win on pens.).

Hobbies and favourite things

His favourite food is pasta, while his go-to 'cheat meal' after a game is a margherita pizza.
Banzuzi enjoys listening to music, with Afrobeat being his favourite genre.
When he's not currently on the pitch, Banzuzi enjoys going bowling or playing pool with his friends.
His footballing idols are former Man City star Yaya Touré and World Cup winner Paul Pogba, due to his playing style.
If he wasn't a professional footballer, the 20-year-old could picture himself having pursued a career as an actor.
Prison Break, Snowfall and Beauty in Black are just some of Banzuzi's favourite TV shows.

A fighter on the pitch

Anyone who knows our new signing well will know that there are two sides to Ezechiel Banzuzi. "Off the pitch, I'm a very chill, easy-going kind of guy. On the pitch, I'm more aggressive, enter into a lot of duels and give my all for the team," he said.

"I'm looking forward to being part of the team and getting to know my new teammates. I want to continue to develop as a player in Leipzig," Banzuzi said. Our new signing is something of a polyglot, as he speaks English, Dutch, Lingála (a language spoken mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and French. He hopes to soon add German to this list.

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Ambitions and Goals

Banzuzi has already established clear goals for his time at RB Leipzig, saying: "I want to finish as close to the top as possible in the Bundesliga next season. It's one of the biggest league's in the world."The 20-year-old can also hardly wait for his first match at the Red Bull Arena. "The stadium is impressive. I've been able to watch a game here already, and the fans are incredible. I got goosebumps while the line-up was being read out before the game. I want to become an important player in Leipzig, score a lot of goals and continue developing together with the club."

We're looking forward to having you with us, Ezi!