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Tadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
THE country will finally get to know who the best 11 footballers in the local league are this afternoon.
A panel of 50 sports journalists, 18 coaches and as many captains from all the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clubs will start casting their ballots this morning.
They will select the league’s best 11 players for the 2022 season as well as the top three out of the lot.
The best goalkeeper for the season, which is likely to be won by Nelson Chadya of Ngezi Platinum Stars, will also be voted for.
The panellists will also select the best coach of the season with the scheduled electronic voting set to close at midday.
There has been a lot of debate on who will make it to the calendar in a season players have been so pathetic.
FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza, who has won his third league title with the platinum miners, spent the season bemoaning the fallen standards in the local league.
His team has tried to lead by example in terms of playing quality football but generally they remain in the same bracket with the rest of the clubs despite their relative dominance, largely helped by their ability to retain most of the players who were in the squad back in 2019.
Forward Walter Musona, rejected by the South African football system as an outcast, has revived his career at the Zvishavane club.
He has been a shining example of how football should be played.
The 26-year-old scored 14 goals and weighed in with six assists in a season whose opening stages presented challenges for the talented player.
His team has won the league title for the fourth time running while Musona has won it for the first time in his career.
He has been the driving force in this talented squad and naturally becomes the favourite to win the Soccer Star of the Year accolade.
He can find his name on every voter’s list and he can also keep his fingers crossed, he will be crowned on December 2 during the official banquet.
But, he is a worried man. And for good reason too. CAPS United midfielder William Manondo can pip him.
The former Harare City man had already beat Musona to the Golden Boot accolade, having scored 17 goals in the just-ended season.
Manondo’s Green Machine have struggled all season.
They were strong relegation candidates at one point during the season.
They were so poor they could even lose 6-2 to minnows like Manica Diamonds and 2-0 to Cranborne Bullets.
They needed a magician to, at least, stay safe.
And they found one in Manondo.
With 12 assists and 17 goals, that means Manondo contributed to 97 percent of all the goals scored by Makepekepe even after he missed the opening two matches of the season.
No player, in the history of Zimbabwean football, has managed to get those numbers.
Makepekepe scored a total of 34 goals and 50 percent directly came through the boot of Manondo.
He assisted the other 12 goals.
Those numbers are good enough for a player whose club suffered damaging financial crisis to be crowned the Soccer Star of the Year.
What makes it even interesting is that Manondo and Musona play the same roles not necessarily the positions at their respective teams. If the Soccer Star of the Year accolade is for someone who scored major individual points through individual brilliance then Manondo can win it, by a distance.
But obviously there will be some who will feel Makepekepe finished 11th on the log while Musona’s team won the league title.
There are, however, some dark horses who can even pip both to the ultimate prize.
Herentals striker Tino Benza has good statistics while Ngezi Platinum Stars goalkeeper Nelson Chadya, who has kept out 19 clean sheets, has a good chance too.
In fact, Chadya, who has the most clean sheets, is favourite for the Golden Glove although facing competition from Taimon Mvula of Dynamos and Wallace Magalane of FC Platinum
Other players who can make the calendar include the Highlands pair of defender Peter Muduhwa and Divine Mhindirira, Black Rhinos’ Gareth Madhake, Eli Ilunga and Farai Banda.
Yadah defender Brian Kadamanja, Nyasha Chintuli of Manica Diamonds, Chicken Inn’s Donovan Benard and Brian Muza can all make it to the calendar.
FC Platinum coach Mapeza is the favourite for the Coach of the Year gong after comfortably leading the platinum miners to their fourth league title on the trot. Joey Antipas of Chicken Inn and Herentals’ Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva have also done well witth their teams this season and could get mentions.
Online Reporter