By Batsirai Sango.
Between the great mighty rivers of Zambezi and Limpopo lies a pot shaped land Zimbabwe, that derives its name from the great stone wall structures found in the historical city of Masvingo in the southern part of the country.
“House of stones” as the name christened to the is great land means, a house of great football talent it has been from the turn of Uhuru some more than 4 decades ago even prior the attainment of independence in 1980.
The world’s most beautiful game as the late Pele called it has surely been a cause for joy for the millions of many Zimbabweans, and the foot soldiers those at the front the players that is have effortlessly put the nation at the Centre of news discourse when it comes to football.
For a country that enjoyed good publicity from the early years of independence and later on negative publicity with the turn of the new century football players and their exploits on the field of play in European leagues have been the one good thing the world has had to know about the country.
With the curtain finally winding down in the European leagues in what has been another stellar season we look at some of the footballing exports to come out from the shores of Zimbabwe and grab headlines in recent memory across Europe.
It first started with Moses Bambo Chunga when he became the first player from the local premier league in the post-independence era in 1987 to go and ply his trade in Europe when he moved to Eendracht Aalst in Belgium. And what a stellar period he had at the Belgian outfit endearing himself to the fans and forever immortalizing his football legacy with the city honoring him in 2012 with the freedom of the city status.
Thats no mean fit if you ask me, and it does not come any higher than that as the gesture was and is a true reflection of how Chunga conducted himself on and off the field of play. I mean here is a foreigner an African being honored by city authorities in a European city for his exploits on the football field.
On the occasion of the bestowment of that honor Moses Chunga neatly dressed in a suit the fans were chanting his name Chunga, Chunga and to think that it had been decades ago when he first kicked ball in Belgium and later hung his boots and the fans still remember him shows the great talent he was.
How can the world forget the great Peter Ndlovu becoming the first African player to play and kick ball in the English premier league in 1992 November. It’s a landmark fit nobody can match even try to erase not only for Zimbabwe to have one of its own being the first the pioneer but for the entire continent he is the elder statesman when it comes to the history of African players and their dance and epic exploits with the English premier league. Going on to become the first player to score a Hatrick at the home of English giants Anfield in Liverpool in over 3 decades a record he holds together with former Arsenal maestro Andri Arshavin. Going on to become the longest serving African player in the English game a true testament of the great talent he was.
On September 2, 1992, Ndlovu became the first African footballer to score in the rebranded English premier league in a 2-1 victory for Coventry City over Shefield Wednesday. The flying elephant was the pioneer marksman before your Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Didier Drogba went on to make their own landmarks in the game. Of the more than 3 hundred African footballers to play in the English premier league Peter Ndlovu is in the top 50 highest African scorers’ number 21 to be exact in the world’s most followed football league.
As if that is not enough in 1992 the flying elephant as Peter is affectionately known by the millions of soccer fans in Zimbabwe was in the final top 10 of the best players on the continent.
In a poll conducted by French magazine in collaboration with France Football Peter Ndlovu ranked 7th ahead of Rashid Yekini of Nigeria and Kalusha Bwalya of Zambia who was turning out for Dutch side PSV Endihoven and Rachid Daouda of Morocco.
The list comprised the biggest names in African football with Abedi Pele Ayew of Ghana coming first place , George Weah of Liberia now head of state of that country on second place.
And of all those great names he was the only African player from the English premier league and the youngest until this very day as he was still a teenager. More ought to be done to improve our record keeping as this is pivotal
In January 2010 the Daily Mail compiled a list of 50 of the greatest African players to play in the English topflight and our very own King Peter was on that list for his performances for the Sky Blues where he immortalized his name at High field road in Coventry.
The indelible milestones of the former skipper simply laid a firm foundation and gave not only English clubs confidence in African talent but European clubs as a whole from the pioneering exploits of the great Peter Ndlovu. Chelsea great Didier Drogba even affirmed to the legendary status of King Peter in a retweet from Reveal Footy with the word “Pioneer”, what other evidence is they a great complimenting another great.
Not to mention how Bruce Grobbelaar prior had endeared himself to Merseyside faithful at Liverpool playing a protagonist role in the Reds winning the European championship now the Champions league in 1986. With his dual citizenship still in contention with the new independence authorities in Zimbabwe he would have been the first Zimbabwean to play in the world’s most followed league.
However, that aside the jungle man as Bruce Grobbelaar is affectionately known by the many football fans in the country did the nation proud and was a true ambassador his crowning moment coming in the European final of 1986 against Rome giants AS Roma where he played a protagonist role in the penalty shootout that went Liverpool’s way.
Football exports from the country from that generation seems had the DNA in all of them of living a mark and making indelible impressions wherever they played and in came Norman Mapeza with his own European journey at the tender age of 22 when he signed for Turkish giants Galatasaray in 1994.
That season he would go on to become the first Zimbabwean infield player to play in Europe’s elite club competition the UEFA champions league rubbing shoulders with Brazilian great Romario when the Turkish giants played Barcelona. It could not get any higher for the young Mapeza then bagging in a brace in the 1994-95 Turkish league season in the Istanbul derby were Galatasaray beat their fiercest local rivals Besiktas. The young Mapeza scored an incredible brace including a blistering shot in the 18-yard box and a well taken penalty.
The stakes do not get any higher than one of the fiercest football derbies in Europe and for Mapeza only 22 years old then to have the nerve to calmly convert a penalty sending the goalkeeper the wrong way takes some courage, nerve and confidence.
The generation of footballers that time were well cooked and could surely hold their own against the big names and not to be outdone the second all-time national team goal scorer the late Adam Ndlovu also left his mark difficult to match.
A prolific goal scorer and chief marksman in his prime, he caught the eye and commanded the attention of the great Scotsman of Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson to have a look at his football talent and goal scoring prowess.
In 1992 he was invited by the Red Devils the name Manchester United are referred to by their millions of fans across the globe for trials and featured in friendlies alongside United greats Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs scoring 6goals. As Sir Alex was on the verge of signing Adam, Eric Cantona immediately became available from Leeds United leading to United settling for the Frenchman. And what a signing as Cantona went on to propel United to the apex of the English game and Adam could not have been hard done by the turn of fate in that instance. Who knows as Eric Cantona later got the name King Eric it would have been “King Adam” with Adam Ndlovu endearing himself at the Stratford end?
It is only a case of what would have been had the late former Warriors striker had gone on to become part of the famed Manchester United class of 1992 of Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, the Neville brothers Gary and Phil players he rubbed shoulders with and played alongside with in those friendlies.
Adam dawned the famous red Manchester United jersey that had “SHARP” as its sponsor and white short that was synonymous with their glory years and what came to be known as Fergie time.
It was not to be but boy ooh boy that’s a fit on its own as no other player has come close to that in the generation of football players that have come.
Adam Ndlovu is simply a pioneer as he was sort after by most European clubs at a time when clubs in Europe were not sure of African talent and before Norman Mapeza went to Galatasaray Adam had gone there for trials and could have played alongside young brother Peter Ndlovu at Coventry City had it not been that the coach was only given the choice to sign either of the brothers.
He later went on to sign for Swiss club SC Kriens in 1994 were he played for 3 seasons before securing a move to another Swiss club SR Delemont where he would secure the move of fellow countryman Harrington Shereni in 1997. As Shereni put it in an interview on “In touch with a Legend” by Alois Bunjira he mentioned how Adam was a like a big brother when he moved to Europe looking out for him always.
At FC Zurich he was at the peak of his powers as he named player of the season in 2000 and also taking the golden boot for the season. He would spend another 3 seasons at FC Zurich where he played with fellow African former South African striker Shaun Bartlett before drawing the curtain down on his European adventure.
His gigantic stature saw him ensured that his Swiss team SR Delemont sign fellow countryman Harrington Shereni when according to Shereni Adam Ndlovu personally made the call to club president to facilitate his signing and the club president had to fly in to give green light for the latter’s signing.
Harrington Shereni signed for the Swiss club a year before the turn of the century and what a marvelous decade long career he had in Europe winning the hearts of fans in Switzerland in the heart of midfield for SR Delemont. He would spend 3 seasons with the Swiss club before moving to Ligue 1 outfit En Avant Guingamp were he won the hearts of the fans for the Brittany region-based club.
A solid rock he was in the heart of central midfield that when rumors towards the end of his contract surfaced that he would not extend fans were disappointed a true reflection of how he had won and endeared himself to the Guingamp Faithfuls. He would move to another Ligue 1 outfit FC Nantes spending another 3 seasons where he put a lid to his decade long stay in European football.
A stellar career worth remembering and a decade in European football is no joke a sign of how great he was and how much his talent was appreciated same as former Warriors skipper Peter Ndlovu who remains the longest serving African player in the English game.
All these great talents show that something was being done right by the football development structures as all these individuals gave a good account of themselves as show by their longevity in the trenches of European football.
A great track and foundation laid for others to follow and Benjani Mwaruwari is another player on the list who represented the nation well when he moved to Swiss club Grasshopper Club Zurich in 2001, but it was at Ligue 1 outfit AJ Auxerre were his European love affair thrived when he joined them a year later.
It was at Auxerre the talent of the undertaker as Mwaruwari is known by his legion of fans began to be noticed and taken seriously. At the peak of his career at Auxerre he scored the first goal in the Coupe de France final in 2005 against Paris giants Paris Saint Germain PSG a cup he had won the season prior winning the hearts fans and pundits alike.
And it was former Arsenal gaffer Frenchman Arsene Wenger who recommended him to Harry Redknapp who was manager at Pompey Portsmouth and, on April 29, 2006, Benjani would go on to score his first goal in a 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic which saw Pompey survive relegation with that victory which won him the hearts of the crowd at Portsmouth. What better person to recommend you than one of the greatest managers in the English premier league in Arsene Wenger.
His exploits won the appreciation of Swedish gaffer Sven Goran Eriksson who was at Manchester City and a move was made which saw Benjani moving to Manchester blue in 2008 where he scored in his debut match which was the Manchester derby as City took on Manchester red Manchester United.
And what better way for one to make their debut than scoring the winning goal in a derby match the Manchester derby for that matter which was the first time the citizens made the double over their city rivals since 1969.
These milestones have been difficult to emulate over the years with the most recent player or should I say last player to dazzle on the European scene from Zimbabwe being Costa Nhamoinesu the towering left wing back. He first moved to Poland where he turned for Polish side KS Wisla Utronianka on loan from 2007-2008 before another deal to Zaglebie Lubin which was another year from 2009-2010 with Lubin making the deal permanent that very same year.
Seeking an exit from the Polish football scene Costa Nhamoinesu secured a move to Czech Republic outfit Sparta Prague in 2013 and made his debut in a 4-1 win away from home playing against Vysocina Jihlava and a month later he would score his first goal for the club. He would go on to spend the next 7 years playing for the Czech side during which time he won the Czech First league in his debut season in 2013, Czech cup 2013-2014, Czech super cup 2014 completing the holy grail of the 3 important domestic cups in Czech football. Spending seven years with the same club and commanding first team jersey say a lot about one’s character and such was the character and talent of Costa Nhamoinesu.
He led Sparta to the UEFA Europa league quarter finals when they beat Italian Serie A outfit Lazio and earned him a place in UEFA Europa league team of the week amongst other elite names in European football Coutinho then turning for Liverpool, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang the at Borussia Dortmund.
Such a recognition does not come cheap and simply shows how flawless you would have been as the UEFA.com wrote describing his standout performance and inclusion in the team of the week “Sparta never looked comfortable in defense, but when heroics were called for in Rome Zimbabwean Costa was their go-to man, Costa is proving to be a saving challenge specialist”.
During his illustrious stint he was the first African player to captain the Czech club and that alone speaks volumes of his talent and character as its not common feature players from Africa captaining European sides. He made over 200 appearances Sparta Prague which do not come easy or on a silver platter in European you have to earn it on merit and that means giving all on the field of play. In 2021 he was listed by UEFA as one of the elite African players with the most appearances in UEFA cup competitions 41 appearances for the former Zimbabwean left back.
His stay at Sparta was hailed by club legend and former Arsenal maestro Tomas Rosicky describing how Costa Nhamoinesu was a true professional throughout his illustrious 7-year stint and how he had become a real Spartan fighting in the football trenches of Czech and European football.
Such plaudits from players alike who have played at the highest don’t come by as often and when they do it show you would have done something beyond special. Tomas Roscisky is regarded as the greatest player to emerge from the Czech Republic and captained the national for a decade and plaudits from such a figure have a lot of weight.
Over the years many have flattered to deceive and scaling the heights reached these great giants who stood tall in the trenches of European football that can sometimes prove to be hostile has emerged a too difficult task to execute.
Something is missing with our football development and the case of Walter Musona and Wisdom Mutasa deserting rather dumping their Slovak top tier side SK Senec in 2015 is one of the many cases that speaks to that narrative. And to speak of any football future or promised about these youngsters is being overly optimistic they reached the biblical promised land but opted to return back to the biblical Egypt via the wilderness. The luminaries mentioned in the article did not have it easy either, but they did not lose sight of the price the ultimate that is why they are celebrated.
