dyton mupawaenda
Veronica Gwaze-Sports Reporter
FOR the first time since Moyo brothers, Kelvin and Elvis joined the Glamour Boys, the duo will not play together for the first half of the season.
This will be the first time they will not play together for this long in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
The seemingly “inseparable twins” who played together for over two decades joined Dynamos from Bulawayo Chiefs at the start of 2023 season on two-year deals.
Through the season, they rose to be a consistent pair that held the fort from the back.
However, Elvis will not feature in the first half of the 2024 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season.
The 30-year-old sustained a long-term hamstring injury, which saw him missing the Castle Challenge Cup final against Ngezi Platinum Stars recently.
This will keep him on the sidelines for months with the club having decided not to register him in the first half of the season.
Ordinarily, this would be disturbing, for the twins who are famous for their attachment to each other.
“We started playing together around the age of eight years, we would play street football in Luveve before proceeding to Baines Junior and Mzilikazi High School,” said Kelvin.
“We then moved on to professional football, we have been together for all these years, and seeing him injured like that makes me sad.
“We have a rare understanding towards each other that makes our game flow, we communicate well and sometimes I can predict him perfectly and the other way round.”
The siblings played together at FC Platinum, Chippa United in South Africa, and Bulawayo Chiefs before joining Dynamos.
They were part of the great FC Platinum team that won their first league title in 2017 and 2018.
They had previously also lifted the Chibuku Super Cup in 2014 and the Castle Challenge Cup with the Zvishavane-based side before going on to play in the CAF Champions League and the Confederations Cup.
Kelvin and Elvis were also part of the Chiefs squad that won their first silverware, the Chibuku Super Cup in 2022 although they went on to finish the league in position seven.
It has often been a case of signing them as a twin pack whenever they make a move.
Interestingly, Kelvin is said to have turned down an offer from Ngezi Platinum Stars earlier in 2023, before settling for Dynamos, under the pretext that he cannot be separated from his twin brother for long.
Kevin is the most experienced of the two.
He played for the Zimbabwe national team while Elvis is a former Zimbabwe youth international who featured in the age-group teams from the Under-20 level.
And moving together from club to club, fans have grown fond of seeing the two playing together.
“Our fans love to see us together and this is what keeps us motivated, it is painful to see him on the side lines due to injury but at least he has a running contract which means he will be close by, cheering me on,” said Kelvin.
“However, playing together also gives us pressure to always be better than the other every day so this pushes us to work harder every day.
“Maybe this is what happened with Elvis, he wanted to force a quick comeback from an injury and I think it aggravated his injury.”
As Dynamos take on Highlanders in the league opening fixtures on Sunday, the Moyo brothers would have been back at “home” (Barbourfields), to rekindle the memories of their formative years.
“This is always a big fixture for me and my brother, even during our days at FC Platinum, we would travel and watch the two giants when they played,” he said.
“It feels great that now some people have to travel to come and watch us play too . . . our journey started in Bulawayo and playing there always brings back the memories.”Dynamos Head Coach Genesis Mangombe paid tribute to the defensive duo for an impressive duty for the Glamour Boys.
He notes that the pair have a clicking combination of pitch and excellent communication.
“They have a rare way of communicating, this is what any coach would want to work with,” he said.
“Sadly, Elvis will be away for long due to injury, however, he will still be close to his brother and us as a team until he bounces back.”
Online Reporter