As five-time Ballon d’Or nominee Yaya Toure prepares to lead his Slovan Bratislava side out against Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart in the Champions League, Rossington Main boss Ben Hunter is analysing what happened the night before in his mid-table team’s clash in the ninth tier of English football.

They may be separated by thousands of miles and millions of pounds, but the coaches are united by one player.

Manasse Kianga was living in Rotherham and playing Sunday league football when he helped Doncaster outfit Main to promotion to their current level in 2023.

Three years later, he fired the Slovakian champions into Europe’s premier competition after reportedly being promoted from the reserves due to an injury crisis.

South African Kianga, 24, could make his debut in the competition later.

Toure’s troops began their Champions League campaign away to French giants Paris St-Germain last month and will also take on the likes of Roma and Inter Milan during the tournament’s league phase.

“He came to trial with Rossington and I had a look at him and straight away loved him,” recalls a proud Hunter, who remains close to the forward known for his electric pace.

“He was a really great guy as well and always played with a smile on his face.”

Kianga, who can play anywhere across the front line, emerged from the bench to score an injury-time winner for Slovan in the third and final round of qualifying for this year’s Champions League.

He travelled with the first team to the Parc des Princes but missed out on the matchday squad despite registering two goals and two assists in the opening three matches of their domestic campaign.

More recently, Kianga has played and scored for the Sky Blues’ reserves and could be involved in their first home fixture in the tournament’s league phase.

Hunter remembers the forward as “very raw” in his early days in South Yorkshire, having moved to Rotherham in around 2017.

The move to Rossington came about through Kianga’s brother, Bobby, who briefly represented the club.

“You could see his ability in terms of his speed and physical presence, but he was quite slight,” says Hunter.

“He stayed with us and he did really well – a lot of higher up teams were interested in him.”

At the time, Kianga was studying business and accounting at Thomas Rotherham College, which also counts Jamie Vardy among its former students.

Chris Walls, the college’s assistant principal, remembers Kianga as a “popular and outstanding student and football player” who was overlooked by several professional clubs.

He was part of the college’s football academy, which mirrors that of a professional set-up, and was “the best player on the pitch every match”, says Walls.

“We took him to England schoolboy trials and he made the last 30 but he couldn’t get a passport in time to be in the final squad,” recalls the assistant principal.

“We’re very proud of him and of the success of the football academy scheme at such a small college in Rotherham.”

After spells at clubs higher up the non-league pyramid, Kianga returned to Rossington to play a crucial part in their 2022/23 promotion, all while turning out for Team Sport in the Rotherham and District Sunday Football League.

Former Bradford City and Grimsby Town striker Ross Hannah has fond memories of their partnership at Main.

“Me and him were a real problem for defenders and teams because of the way we complemented each other,” says Hannah, who is still playing for the club aged 40.

“It’s amazing the journey he has been on.”

“There were times when he couldn’t drive he used to get lifts,” recalls Hannah.

“That’s the commitment. Some lads would be like: ‘I’m not bothered’.

“He made sure he got there.

“We have all spoke about it in the dressing room and we are all buzzing for him.”

Difficulties obtaining a permanent work permit meant Kianga had to move back to South Africa in 2024.

Hunter was among those who travelled to court in Bradford to support him in his ultimately unsuccessful attempt to stay in England.

“The world was his oyster, I really believed he could have made it pro in England,” he says.

“He went back to South Africa and from there made a journey across Europe and ended up where he is.”

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