Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
MOST footballers are known for their extravagant lifestyles thereby drawing attention but some are down to earth and shy away from the spotlight.
One such down to earth player is South African-based Warriors’ defensive midfielder Danny ‘Deco’ Phiri, who prefers to keep his off the field diary “very private” compared to some of his peers, who post every detail of their life on social media.
On Wednesday, the Bulawayo bred Golden Arrows footie star celebrated his 31st birthday.
Because of the coronavirus lockdown, Phiri spent his day indoors at his costal Durban apartment with his family.
On a normal day, the soft-spoken defensive midfielder might have gone out to celebrate his day or host friends for a party, but the prevailing situation made him stay indoors.
“I’m grateful for another year and I thank God for the grace He has given me to celebrate my birthday. I spent the day with my family at home. I will also want to thank the fans and friends that wished me well through social media. Their thoughts and lovely messages made up for everything,” said Phiri.
His former teammates at now defunct Bantu Rovers, Supersport United winger Kudakwashe Mahachi and Turkey-based Teenage Hadebe as well as the Golden Arrows pair of striker Knox M’tizwa and left-back Divine Lunga organised a group video call and sang him a birthday song.
“I must say the major surprise was the group call I got from my national team guys. Those guys can be crazy, but they are good friends. They really made my day. I can’t wait for the day everything normalises and we meet for national duty to share experiences,” Phiri said. – @ZililoR
Online Reporter