Online Reporter
MARSHALL Munetsi has just completed a US$20,5 million move to the English Premiership where he has joined Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Warriors vice-captain has signed a three-and-half year deal and has the opportunity to extend his stay at Wolves for another year.
This is massive for Marshall, in particular, and our football, in general.
It’s something the new ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi acknowledges.
Yesterday, Magwizi congratulated Munetsi for his career-defining move.
Magwizi said this transition marks not just a new chapter in your career but a culmination of the immense talent, unwavering dedication, and remarkable leadership which Munetsi has consistently displayed on and off the pitch.
He said Munetsi left behind a legacy of hard work and commitment, at French club Stade Reims, which will resonate for years to come.
Magwizi said Munetsi’s journey has been nothing short of inspiring, has raised the Zimbabwean flag with pride and has become a shining symbol of hope and determination for countless young athletes who now look up to you.
He said the Warriors vice-captain personifies the essence of perseverance, proving that dreams can be realised through relentless effort and passion.
He is the only Southern African footballer to complete such a high-profile move during the January transfer window.
It’s the latest proof, if the world still needed any, that we are really a serious football nation which has been blessed with a lot of stars.
We will always carry the badge of honour that we are the African nation which provided the English Premiership, the richest and most followed top-flight league in the world, with its first footballer from this continent.
That was Peter Ndlovu in August 1992. Ndlovu went on to show that Coventry City’s investment in him was not a gamble as he starred on the biggest stages of the English Premiership, including scoring a hat-trick on the hallowed turf of Anfield.
Adam Ndlovu would probably have been signed by Manchester United had the Red Devils not been tipped that Eric Cantona was available to move from Leeds United.
Benjani Mwaruwari played for Manchester City and even scored in the derby at Old Trafford while Marvelous Nakamba rose from Hwange to sign for Aston Villa.
Brendan Galloway has played in the English Premiership for Everton while Tawanda Charewa has played for Wolves.
None of our Southern African rivals can boast of having such a number of their footballers who have played in the Premiership.
Munetsi’s move to Wolves will inspire millions of young footballers, who are plying their trade on our streets, to believe that they can also go all the way and play in the Premiership.
It also comes at the right time when we are starting to find our feet again after battling the scars which were inflicted by that FIFA ban.
We have just elected a new ZIFA leadership and we have qualified for the AFCON finals, at the first time of asking, after our return from the cold. This is a good time for our football.
Mathew Masinge