Is he our Little Messi?

appears to be looking for its own little genius to provide the spark that will bring a route to success.
Diminutive men, either leading the line or being used as the creative hub of teams, have suddenly become fashionable in football with scientists saying their low centre of gravity gives them a distinct advantage in a game that has clearly gone artistic.

Whether it’s the 2010 World Cup or the Champions League, the recent success stories on the big stage have all been shaped by the little geniuses, like Iniesta (Spain) or Messi (Barce-lona), while football’s next big star could be a 1,69m Chilean forward who has just joined Barca – Alexis Sanchez.
For a country whose greatest football moments were inspired by a little genius, a 1.73m forward called Peter Ndlovu, who led from the front and helped his nation to two Nations Cup appearances, the arrival of a diminutive star in the Warriors’ ranks inevitably sends fans on nostalgic journeys.

Khama Billiat can never be compared to Lionel Messi because he hasn’t even touched the level scaled by the legendary Ndlovu.
But, in a country that has been terribly short on football heroes, his arrival on the big stage, and the stunning impact he has made, have both driven him into the spotlight.
Interestingly, Khamaldinho is exactly the same height as the great Messi – standing only at 1,70m (5 feet 7 inches) and they share virtually the same weight, with Khama weighing in at 66kgs and the Argentina superstar at 67kgs.

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Both men play the winger/striker role for club and country and while Messi has reached the pinnacle of a career that has reaped him five Spanish league titles, one Spanish Cup, four Spanish Super Cups, one Uefa Super Cup, one Fifa World Club Cup and three Champions League crowns, Khamaldinho is just starting his journey.
Ironically, when both Messi and Khama started their professional club careers, they were given their breakthrough by Dutch coaches with Frank Rijkaard giving the Argentine superstar his Barca debut against Espanyol on October 16 2004 while Foppe De Haan handed Khamaldinho his Ajax Cape Town colours last season.

There were patches in Khama’s performance at Rufaro on Wednesday night, in the friendly international against Zambia, which gave a hint of greatness and buttressed De Haan’s assessment that the little forward was destined for superstardom.
Just like the Malians before them, the Zambians appeared to be fooled by his little frame, believing they could subdue him using raw strength, but they quickly found out that there was so much dynamite in that small package it needed to be handled carefully.

Protecting the ball well and ploughing his line with authority, Khama impressed all night, twisting and turning, constantly losing his marker and creating all sorts of problems for the opposition defenders, supporting his teammates well and playing a big part in all the moves that came through his channel.
Every touch sparked expectations of something special, among the fans who have warmed up to their new star, and he showed his tremendous power, despite his small frame, when he fired a free-kick from a distance, coming in from an angle, as he tried to squeeze the ball between the ‘keeper and his near post.

What caught the eye was not only the power in the shot but the technique, which gave the ball its swerve towards the end, and the Zambian ‘keeper did well to make the save.
But on a night when his superb performance deserved more, Khama was rewarded just two minutes after the break when he stroked home Zimbabwe’s second goal.
For a left wide player, to run into the box and assume the central striking position, as what happened in that move that was being fashioned out on the right, showed Khama’s presence of mind and, crucially, how much he has developed in the past eight months to become an all-round forward. Someone in his role could have kept his line, wide on the left, which meant that when Quincy Antipas’ clever ball, drawn back into play from the byline, missed Edward Sadomba, the chance could have been lost.

But there was Khamaldinho, right in the centre striker’s role, and – given that his run had long fooled his marker who was miles away guarding the left channel – the Zimbabwean forward was unmarked when the opportunity presented itself.
Cue in the Assassin.
Yes, it was an easy chance but we have seen far easier opportunities being blown in this game and at this ground, especially under the pressure of the Rufaro crowd.

But Khama was as assured as they come, stroking the ball with a touch of class and sending it home as the goalkeeper, deceived by a slight movement that was only seen by those who benefited from the replays shown on national television, dived the other way.
It was as if he was converting a penalty, the only difference being that, this time, Khama did not have the benefit of a dead ball.

With that insurance goal, the game was decided and Norman Mapeza can draw a lot of satisfaction from the way his team responded, even without their talisman Knowledge Musona, and kept their shape in attack.
There is something refreshing about this group of Warriors and the way Vusa Nyoni, who turned on another good performance for his country, was criticised by his fellow defenders, after gifting possession away in once incident, spoke volumes about their commitment to winning this game.

But while winning is everything, it doesn’t need to be ugly and it has been the beauty of the Warriors’ show, in their last two matches, which has delighted their fans and, to play so beautifully, you need magicians like Khamaldinho.
It has been a storming start to the new season for Khama who illuminated the Cape Town Stadium on Friday night with a double strike as Ajax Cape Town buried SuperSport United 5-2 to power their way into the semi-finals of the Mtn8, the richest knockout football tournament on the continent.

On Wednesday night, the rising Zimbabwean star made it three goals, for club and country, in just five days. Dutch coach De Haan, who famously converted Ruud van Nistelrooy from a midfielder into a striker, gave Billiat his break at Ajax Cape Town last season and, after the Zimbabwean struck a glorious double in a 3-0 win over Orlando Pirates, the Dutchman hailed him as a gem.

“He is a young boy; he is coming along alright and doing well for us. He has good development and is improving a lot at training and is definitely one for the future,” said De Haan.
“He has sat on the bench, played on the right and left wing, but I believe he will become the best Number 9 for Ajax in the future.
“It is good that he is playing on the wings to get that experience and will move into a striking position at the right time.”

It’s a measure of Khamaldinho’s brilliance that rising Bafana Bafana star Thulani Serero, voted the South African Player of The Year last season, said he believed Khama was a better player than him.
“Khama is very good. I think very highly of him. I think he can play the Number 10 very well. He’s got everything you need to play in that position,” Serero told Soccer-Laduma.

“He’s fast, he’s skilful and he can find space. I also think his decision-making is very good as well.
“That is something that needs to really be at a high level. YOU KNOW, HE’S MUCH BETTER THAN ME, SERIOUSLY.
“I also think his versatility is very useful. He can play left or right wing, striker and, of course, number 10. HE’S A SPECIAL PLAYER.”

Khama grew up in a poor family in Mufakose, which traced its roots to Malawi, while Messi’s father Jorge Horacio, a factory steel worker in Rosario, was too poor to afford the growth hormones that his son needed to grow and get a chance to play football.

The Messi clan were also immigrants who traced their roots to Italy.
So does size really matter in football today?
American blogger, Henry Browne, believes it does and that separates the likes of Messi from the rest of the pack.
“His low center of gravity gives him great balance even as opponents kick him; he can run at high speed with the ball seemingly stuck to his feet.”

No wonder why football is changing these days and, thanks to Messi, players who would have been told – just a few years ago that they are too small to play the game – are being given a chance.
“The fact that a player standing at just 5 feet 7 inches, after taking growth hormones as a youngster, to be tall enough to play top-level football one day, can create such magic and be considered one of the best players that ever lived, has made academies across the world do a massive re-think on height restrictions when it comes to signing talent,” said the Bleacher Report. As Leo Messi has proved, you’re never too small to be a footballer.”

Yes, as Khamaldinho proved on Wednesday night, you’re never too small to make a big impact in football.