| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1958 (age 66–67) | ||
| Place of birth | Soweto, South Africa | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1966–1967 | Chiawelo United Stars | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978 | Kaizer Chiefs B | ||
| 1978–1980 | Kaizer Chiefs | 27 | (9) |
| 1980 | Wits University (loan) | 30 | (12) |
| 1981–1984 | Wits University | 102 | (45) |
| 1984–1985 | Watford | 5 | (2) |
| 1985 | Durban Bush Bucks | 34 | (25) |
| 1985–1986 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 18 | (7) |
| 1986–1988 | Moroka Swallows | 55 | (22) |
| 1988–1990 | Kaizer Chiefs | 68 | (34) |
| Total | 339 | (156) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mike "Sporo" Mangena (born 12 September 1958) [1] is a retired South African football (soccer) striker who last played for Kaizer Chiefs.
Mangena started playing soccer for Chiawelo United Stars at the age of 7. [1]
Mangena was signed to the Chiefs reserves in 1978 and was promoted the same year. He moved to Wits University in 1980. [1]
He moved to Watford in 1984. He was a teammate of John Barnes and Mo Johnston under Graham Taylor. [1]
He was a teammate of Mlungisi Ngubane and older brother of Neil Tovey, Mark Tovey when he was the top goal scorer in the NPSL with 25 goals under Clive Barker. [1] He was edged by Ernest Mtawali to the 1985 Footballer of the Year award. [2]
Mangena joined Sundowns on 10 January 1986 for a record R40 000. He made his debut on 9 February 1986 in a 2-1 win over Durban Bush Bucks. Mangena was part of the squad that travelled to watch the 1986 FA Cup final in England. Sundowns played a 2--2 draw where Mangena scored a brace in a pre-match friendly against Crystal Palace reserves on 10 May 1986. Mangena was sold to Moroka Swallows on 8 June 1986. [2] [1]
He ended his short 12-year career at the age of 30 where he won the BP Top 8, JPS and Bob Save Super Bowl. [1]
Since 1990 he has worked as a soccer analyst at SABC; [1] and he is the owner of Harcourts Unlimited, [3] a real estate business based in the historic Kliptown, Soweto.
In November 2018, Mangena was arrested after a drug manufacturing lab was found on a farm belonging to Mangena. [4] [5]
Mangena claimed he was unaware of the activities on the farm, and the case was struck off the roll in October 2019. [6]