daniel chigunwe
LONDON. — Marshall Munetsi, whose father was a police officer, grew up near Mabvuku in a community of homes owned by Harare’s police force.
His father, described by Ali as a “disciplinarian”, was supportive of his son’s football ambitions and, after three years at Ali Sundowns, Munetsi was selected to play for his provincial representative side at under-14s level.
Four years later, he was chosen to play for Zimbabwe’s under-17s and, after seven years with Ali’s side, he left to join another Harare club, Blue Rangers, who were in the country’s second tier.
His next move was to Cape Town in South Africa, where he played initially for Ubuntu before being spotted by Orlando Pirates, one of South Africa’s biggest clubs.
“The coach who signed him, Eric Tinkler, was then fired and the new coach didn’t have plans for him, so he was sent on loan to a rival in the same league, called Baroka,” says Ali.
“He played so well at Baroka that Orlando Pirates called him back. He played well there and he was signed by Reims in France.”
Munetsi spent five and a half years in France, playing 148 times in Ligue 1 before finally getting his move to the Premier League at 28.
He could make his debut in the competition at Anfield on Sunday, having made his first Wolves appearance in the FA Cup at Blackburn Rovers last weekend.
When he returns home to Zimbabwe to prepare for World Cup qualifiers with the national team at the end of March, he will have new experiences to share.
He launched a foundation in 2019 to help underprivileged people in his homeland, donating a proportion of his salary to help fund it, and he takes a hands-on approach back in the community where his football journey began.
“Every time Marshall is in Zimbabwe, he comes to my team, he shares his success stories,” says Ali. “He goes to the primary schools, he does the same at the high school that he went to, Mabvuku High, which is where my team trains and I have some players from there.
“Marshall is a big influence. He gives back to the community big time. He’s a guy that we’re so proud of and he has not forgotten his roots.”
Long before Munetsi’s move to England, Ali predicted in a Zimbabwean newspaper interview that his club’s most successful export would play at the highest level in either England or Spain, so if he gets on the field in Merseyside this weekend, it will be the vindication of a bold prophecy for his mentor.
But, for Ali, Munetsi joining Wolves is beyond his wildest dreams given his own affinity with the West Midlands club.
“A few years ago, I went to the UK to visit friends and they had some relatives that lived in Wolverhampton,” he says.
“I went to the stadium once and I fell in love with Wolves and a lot of people don’t believe it because for people in Harare, it’s usually about Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool or Arsenal.
“Those are the teams they talk about here. If there’s a game for Wolves on television, I’ll be the only supporter there, but I will be dressed in my Wolves kit.
“I am a diehard fan and Marshall is now playing for my team. So this time around, I’m going to watch one of my own young boys playing there. It is unbelievable.” — The New York Times.
Online Reporter