Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter
MARCH 20, 2025 will remain entrenched in Zimbabwe football folklore as the Musona brothers, Knowledge and Walter joined a list of other brothers to be fielded in the same Warriors side.
A great number has played for the national team albeit at different times.
The Musona brothers were fielded in Zimbabwe’s World Cup Group C tie against Benin, played at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Football has proven to be a family and community passion. It is no surprise that the sport’s genes are being passed on through several generations throughout Zimbabwe and globally. It is common to find brothers playing soccer together with the eldest having inspired his other siblings with varying levels of success.
The Musonas are in a select group of footballers who have earned national stripes because of their being extremely gifted on the pitch.
The pioneering brothers in independent Zimbabwe to play for the national team remain Misheck and Sunday Chidzambwa.
Sunday was the first captain of the Warriors in 1980, playing as a skipper in a four-team tournament won by Zimbabwe as the nation celebrated the end of British rule.
Misheck started as a rightback though he would later establish himself as a trusted centreback forming formidable partnerships with a number of great defenders.
After the Chidzambwas who were then using the Marimo surname, came the Dhanas, Majid a no-nonsense centreback and Hamid rated among the most talented linkmen of that era and ever.
Kembo Chunga while Dynamos’ centre forward with David George in the early 1980s got a call-up but it is his younger brother Moses, who would grow to be among the best products from Zimbabwe football who became a darling of the Warriors fans from his Under-20 days in 1983 up to his retirement during the Dream Team era.
The Mugeyi twins, William and Wilfred were next in line representing their country with distinction at Under-20 and senior level.
But the biggest story was when during the Dream Team the trio of the Ndlovu brothers, Madinda, Adam and Peter were fielded against South Africa. All were at one stage the pillars of Highlanders and went on to have successful careers abroad.
Dynamos gave Zimbabwe the excelling duo of Vitalis Takawira and Claudious, Abel and Cain Muteji from Chapungu played for the Under-23s while the Mubaiwa twins Peter and Patrick were loyal servants of the Young Warriors.
Also to turn out for the Young Warriors are the Moyo brothers Thabani, Elvis and Kevin.
Another set of brothers that excelled for the Warriors playing at different times Johannes and Zephaniah. Johannes is regarded among the best playmakers to emerge in Zimbabwe.
Zephaniah was as tough as teak, a defender who took no prisoners.
Makwinji Soma-Phiri and his elder brother Amin were capped at Young Warriors and Warriors level respectively.
Some sons and fathers represented the country like Joey Antipas and his son Quincy donned national colours almost two decades apart with Timothy Sibanda following his father, Posani Sibanda’s footsteps.
“I am happy that my brother came out of retirement and bounced back to the national team. Many people thought we play in the same position but that is not the case,” said Walter, who is the country’s reigning Soccer Star of the Year.
Internationally, the Ivorian duo of Kolo Toure and Yaya Toure probably have a strong claim to being the most talented brothers to ever play with each other, although one can imagine Danish legends Brian and Michael Laudrup would have a lot to say about that.
The Tourés played together for three years at Manchester City, where they helped the club capture their first Premier League title in 2012.
They were also teammates in the Cote d’Ivoire national team, with whom they won the African Cup of Nations in 2015, but their greatest contribution to football has to be the Yaya Kolo song that City fans used to belt out.-@FungaiMuderere
Bunjiwe Mkwananzi