Emmanuel "Manny" Maja came through the ranks at Kinetic Academy in London, which led him to sign for Croydon FC to play in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division. At 'The Trams' Maja excelled in central midfield despite only being 17 years of age.

With Maja's impressive performances and manager Harry Hudson hailing that "Emmanuel is one of the most technically gifted individuals Croydon FC have seen," Emmanuel was rewarded with a trial at the centurion champions Manchester City U18s. During Manny's trial period, Maja was seen to train with England U21 European champions James Trafford and Cole Palmer. He also featured with Ian Poveda of Leeds United and Dutch international Jeremie Frimpong.

Despite not securing a deal with the champions, Maja joined Welling United before moving to Enfield Town in July 2021. During Emmanuel's time at Enfield, he became a fans favourite as he excelled in the centre of midfield for the Towners helping the club become promotion contenders.

Even though Enfield sadly missed out on promotion in the playoffs, Manny's contributions were recognised at the North London side and he earned the accolade of Young Player of the Year Award, which created a host of interest in the young star in the non-league pyramid. Step 2 Tonbridge Angels won the race for his signature in the subsequent season with their boss Jay Saunders articulating upon the youngster's arrival how he believed he would go onto a much higher level.

With six appearances at the club, Cheshunt hunted his signature and Maja signed for The Ambers in October 2022. During his time at Cheshunt, Manny impressed at the heart of the midfield which saw him awarded Off the Line blog's NLS team of the season. Maja accumulated 34 appearances and is now forming a reunion with Banbury's Number 9 Ken Charles as the pair have departed Theobalds Lane for the Banbury Plant Hire Community Stadium.

Maja is excited by the challenge in joining the Puritans and playing in front of the Tramway Army as he stated, "I'm excited to be here and get to work. Looking forward to performing for you Reds."

Mark Jones is equally delighted to get the midfielder on board as he has always been a long-term admirer of the 22-year-old midfielder. "Manny is a player I first became aware of when he was playing for Enfield Town. He is a player with big potential. Manny brings some different attributes to our midfield. He is a powerful lad that can also pass the ball well. He will add physicality to our team."

WELCOME EMMANUEL MAJA