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Veronica Gwaze
Sports Reporter
CHEGUTU Pirates goalkeeper, Tendai Chirara, almost quit football when he left Ngezi Platinum’s Under-19 side as a free agent three years ago.
His future in the game looked bleak until Chegutu Pirates picked him up.
“When I left Ngezi Platinum Stars’ developmental side, I, for a moment, thought of simply giving up, it felt like my world was crumbling around me,” said Chirara.
“I had lost hope and I felt like everything that I ever looked forward to in life had just blown up in my face.
“Little did I know that God simply wanted me to take a longer route, here I am now, celebrating victory with Chegutu Pirates after a long and gruesome battle.
“It is finally time for me to dance with the big boys, most of whom I just know from the big screen but never thought I would brush shoulders with.”
Growing up in Kambuzuma, Chirara used to play plastic football with his mates on the streets.
Ironically at that time, he always wanted to play as a goalkeeper.
It is at Kurai Primary and Mufakose High schools that his serious love for goalkeeping manifested.
In Form Three, he enrolled at Cornway College on a football scholarship.
The scholarship, recalls Chirara, came as relief to his parents who were already struggling to put their three children through school.
“Life was tough at home, when I look back now, I ask myself how we survived in that situation,” he said.
“I never dreamt of ever setting my foot at a school like Cornway one day and now getting a scholarship, I became an idol in the neighbourhood.”
Becoming the school’s first-choice goalkeeper, Chirara was then spotted by the Ngezi Platinum side while playing in the Super Six Tournament.
In 2018, coach Rodwell Dhlakama gave him a “life changing” opportunity when he approached and offered him a chance to join the Madamburo family.
“Adjusting to be a professional player was very tough, it was like being thrown into the deep end, I had to learn fast,” he said.
“I did not reach their expectations but they played a huge role in my career, moulding me into the player that I am, they taught me so much about the game.”
Online Reporter