daniel chigunwe
WARRIORS coach Michael Nees revealed at the weekend that he is in talks with Knowledge Musona centred on convincing the forward to end his retirement from international football.
The 34-year-old former captain of the senior national team was the Warriors talisman for more than a decade and helped his team qualify for the AFCON finals three times in a row.
That remains the best campaign by the Warriors, when it comes to the Nations Cup, as they qualified for the 2017, 2019 and 2021 finals of the tournament.
Until that golden run, the Warriors had qualified for the AFCON finals only twice, in 2004 and 2006, and had taken 24 years to feature at the finals.
Musona was not the captain when we qualified and played at the 2017 AFCON finals because that role belonged to Willard Katsande.
But, Musona was our best player and, like Peter Ndlovu in the past, he was the man we would always turn to when the going got tough and, more often than not, he would always deliver.
It’s fair to say that since Musona retired from international football to concentrate on what are clearly the final days of his successful club career, the Warriors attack has not been the same.
We have struggled for the goals which Musona used to supply with regularity.
His combination with Khama Billiat used to give us a cutting edge in our attack and when they both decided to end their international football careers, it hit us very hard.
The good thing with having talented footballers, who have built an international profile for themselves, is that they don’t only strengthen our team but they also evoke fear into the opposition.
Billiat was persuaded by Nees to come out of retirement and the impact he made on his return was sensational.
He showed that we were missing his quality in our attack and he was clearly the best player for us when we drew against the Indomitable Lions in that Nations Cup qualifier.
Billiat was forced to return home to rebuild his career after injuries threatened to destroy it in his final years in the South African Premiership.
He also said he needed to feel loved again after he became an object of abuse, especially from Kaizer Chiefs fans, in the final days of the years he spent in South Africa.
His handlers argue that they decided against taking him to the giants like Highlanders, Dynamos and CAPS United because they didn’t want him to be subjected to the kind of pressure he was under at Chiefs.
Their strategy has paid off huge dividends. What is also clear is that Billiat needs Musona back in that Warriors’ attack.
Age is just a number for athletes who would have taken good care of their bodies and Billiat and Musona are part of that crew of athletes.
We believe that Musona can add real value to our Warriors and make a difference in our AFCON campaign.
Online Reporter