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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Sunday Life Correspondent
FORMER Chicken Inn defender Teenage Hadebe is a player under no illusion of what is expected of him at his new home of Kaizer Chiefs, a football club that has over the years shown that a mere Top Eight or Top Four finish is not enough.
The crack South African outfit, nicknamed Amakhosi has always sought to live by what its nickname says, Kings and a king is not an ordinary member of society. A king is expected to lead. A king is expected to have totally different characteristics than his subjects and even be revered by those that try to be a king even though there is always one king per any given kingdom and Kaizer Chiefs wants to be that, the king of South African football.
To wrestle that crown one needs strong warriors who will not only scare those surrounding it but totally dominate and infinitely hence the need to have a constant supply of capable personnel.
For a player to be signed up by such an ambitious club means something special must be in that player, something which the club sees can help restore and maintain its status as the best in the Absa Premiership. Last season Amakhosi finished fourth with 50 points, a massive 10 points behind league winners Bidvets Wits. For any other team position four would have been normal but not for Amakhosi and it meant a need to for manpower, players that will be able to see the club not only rise from their fourth position but reclaim what it probably deems as its birthright, the league title.
It is such expectations that make 21-year-old Bulawayo boy Hadebe that special player who together with the rest of the squad, will be able to make those that pump their cash happily come end of the season.
Coming in as a defender to compete for a starting line-up in a parade of seven obviously talented defenders is no mean feat. He also acknowledges that the move was a dream come true for him.
“I hope I am going to play good football. This is a very big club not only in South Africa but throughout the continent and therefore coming here is no stroll in the park,” says Hadebe, a member of the Zimbabwe senior national team that dismissed Liberia 3-0 in the opening match of the 2019 Total
Africa Cup of Nations qualifier a couple of weeks back.
He knows that competition will certainly be tough.
“There are a lot of good players here, a lot of them and that means I have to work extra hard during our pre-season in order to build my confidence ahead of the start of the league campaign whose objectives at the end of the season is there for all to see,” said Hadebe.
He is comfortable as a central defender but being a player with so much defensive prowess, the Makokoba-born starlet can also play ball on the left back, like he proved beyond any doubt while at Bulawayo giants Highlanders and Chicken Inn back home.
Amakhosi have already started their 2017/18 pre-season preparations with some closed door workouts ahead of their pre-season itinerary which will start with a clash against Botswana’s Township Rollers next weekend in the Bokone Bophirima Maize Cup and then the first of the real battle when they face old foes Orlando Pirates in the Black Label challenge.
What will work in his favour at Amakhosi though is that it is already home to fellow countrymen in midfield enforcer and one of the key players at Naturena, Willard Katsande and Edmore Chirambadare who they played together at Chicken Inn.
“Having fellow Zimbabweans here is not a guaranteed ticket of a starting place, not at all. I have to pull up my socks and fight for my place, fight like a man. There is nothing as disappointing as letting down those who have confidence and trust in you and being a warrior, I don’t want to be that person here. There has to be a clear reason for my coming here and believe me you I intend doing just that even though I am not under any illusion of the immense amount of talent that I have to compete with,” he said.
That Kaizer Chiefs have always wanted him is no secret as he once had trials last season but the club could not sign him, yet they still kept tabs on his progress hence this time around, they had to give him a pen and a paper first to append his signature and swear to be their man for the next three years.
He also knows the pressure that comes with playing for such a big team, and that if one fails to perform, they are easily shown the door. Kaizer Chiefs recently offloaded more than five players, who include Zimbabwean Mitchel Katsvairo. Ovidy Karuru and Lincolyn Zvasiya also did not have a good time at Chiefs and had they stay cut, but it was former Warriors midfield general Tinashe Nengomasha who became a darling and yesteryear star Robson “Sarafina” Muchichwa.
Good on the ground and excellent on the air, Hadebe has a knack for scoring rare goals and has four international goals to his credit already in a career that has seen him win eight senior national team caps.
Meanwhile, Hadebe has predicted a win for his fellow countrymen in the Cosafa Castle Cup final against Zambia today.
“Zambia might be a good team but we have beaten them already this year where I scored the winning goal in Harare. I believe we can beat them again,” said Hadebe.
Online Reporter