Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo in BEIJING, China
LEGENDARY former Zimbabwe captain Peter Ndlovu knows just how meticulous attention at grassroots level can unlock potential in young players.
Regarded as the finest footballer ever to emerge from this country, Ndlovu was a beneficiary of junior football development, first at Mzilikazi High School in Bulawayo and then at Highlanders juniors.
Blessed with both speed and skill, Ndlovu got to be nurtured by professionals and in his early teens, he was already flying, dominating junior football across the country.
He won the Soccer Star of the Year accolade twice in consecutive years (1990 and 1991) before he was snapped up by English outfit Coventry City.
On August 19, 1992, Ndlovu made history when he became the first African footballer to play in the new English Premier League.
He also led Zimbabwe to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations appearance in Tunisia in 2004.
And he doesn’t mince his words when talking about junior development.
Now based in South Africa where he is on the administrative books of giants Mamelodi Sundowns, Ndlovu has given his compliments to the growing junior football institution Jadel Football Academy.
JFA formed in China by ex-Zimbabwe youth international Walter “Ringers” Musanhu are cutting across several nations for different age groups.
The Zimbabwe subsidiary has been expanding since its establishment in 2019 to include teams in Bulawayo, Mutare and Beitbridge.
Sixteen young players from Zimbabwe are in China where they have been fused with their counterparts from the expansive country and other nations for one of the biggest youth football festivals in the world, the 100-Team Cup.
The tournament kicks-off today in Beijing with four different age groups.
Ndlovu sent the young players a special message of encouragement.
“Jadel Football Academy, I know you are capable. Go out there, play well, shine and raise the country’s flag high.
“Do well in the 100-Team Cup. We are all behind you, all the best,” he said.
JFA shocked the world last year when they shoved aside every challenge in their way to win the 100-Team Cup.
It was a moment of pride for Zimbabwean citizens here and they celebrated it with embassy staff.
The 100-Team Cup is now in its 42nd year and is a very popular event in the Chinese sporting calendar.
With its popularity spreading, more than 1 365 clubs are gracing the competition this year from across the world.
Musanhu who has preached the gospel of continuity wants the young players he has assembled at JFA and given such huge exposure in international tournaments like the 100-Team Cup to be kept together.
He is hopeful that some of them will blossom and become the next generation of Warriors for the 2034 World Cup qualification bid.
