Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda in MARRAKECH, Morocco
A number of records have been forged at the Africa Cup of Nations finals, across seven decades of the continent’s biggest football stage.
Goals, appearances and longevity are some of the interesting records that have been established since the AFCON finals were launched in 1957.
One fascinating record is that of the oldest player to feature at the biennial competition.
At 42, Mozambique skipper and talisman Elias Pelembe, nicknamed Dominguês, is the oldest player at the ongoing AFCON finals in Morocco.
He has already made history as the oldest ever outfield player to feature at the football show-piece in its 68-year history.
After making a cameo role when Mozambique lost 0-1 against Cote D’Ivoire on Christmas Eve, Pelembe started for the Mambas against Gabon in Marrakech yesterday.
However, the overall record of the oldest ever player to feature at the AFCON is held by the legendary Egyptian keeper, Essam El Hadary, who was 44 when he played for the Pharaohs at the 2017 finals in Gabon.
El Hadary, who won four AFCON titles with Egypt in 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010 is an inspiration to many goalkeepers across the continent.
One of them is Zimbabwe’s number one, Washington “Sekuru Gudo” Arubi, who is making his AFCON debut at the age of 40.
Alongside Uganda’s veteran keeper Dennis Onyango, who is also 40, Arubi is proving that age becomes less important than quality and experience at this stage of competition.
Arubi has been in fine form for Zimbabwe who are aiming to break a 21-year-old AFCON jinx.
The veteran keeper will be in goals once again, when the Warriors square up against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in a crunch Group B clash at the Stade de Marrakech today.
Victory for Zimbabwe will see them qualify for the AFCON knockout stage for the first time since 2004, when the nation made its debut.
Arubi made six super saves during the painful 2-1 loss against Egypt in the opening game and was outstanding again when Zimbabwe drew 1-1 against Angola on Boxing Day.
He is now focusing on the game against South Africa, the first Limpopo Derby in the history of the AFCON finals.
“I am feeling great right now, I want to keep doing this for my country,” Arubi told Zimpapers Sports Hub at the team’s hotel in Marrakech yesterday.
“There are a lot of keepers who play until they get to 45, but right now I am taking each day as it comes,” said the Marumo Gallants goalie.
One of his role models, El Hadary, was 45 when he turned out for Egypt at the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.
But for now, Arubi’s focus is on Bafana Bafana, who stand between the Warriors and a place in the last 16 of the 2025 AFCON finals.
“We know how South Africa are going to play. We have played them before and it’s always a tough game to play.
“We are expecting a good game on our side and we will try to come up with the positive result and go through.
“We are trying to make this really good and everyone knows, the whole nation knows that we have been putting in from the day we got here,” Arubi told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
Arubi feels Zimbabwe can take advantage of South Africa’s loss against Egypt.
“I think we are on the same level with them even though right now they have been on a good path as a nation, they’ve been playing well and they have won a lot of games.
“But that was until they lost to Egypt.
“It’s an advantage for us because it’s something that they’re not used to.
“So you have to take advantage of that because right now I feel like they’re still down.
“You know when you’re not used to something, for yourself to get up, it might take some time,” said the former Dynamos keeper.
Apart from Arubi, Zimbabwe have a number of players plying their trade in the South African Premiership.
“It’s like most of the guys here play or have played in South Africa.
“Most of the players in the Bafana Bafana squad play in South Africa and our local league in Zimbabwe is almost the same as in South Africa.
“Yes, the pressure is always there, and we are always telling the youngsters.
“But we mustn’t put our heads down or focus on the negatives.
“We have to convert the negatives into positives and keep working hard.
“We have to control what we can control, what we can’t control, we can’t and such is the nature of this game.
“So we just have to remain positive, work harder than the way we have been doing because this is a decider.
“We need to go through and make our nation proud.
“So, I just want to ask the nation to keep on praying for us and keep on supporting us the way they’ve been doing,” said Arubi.
