adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
WHEN Knowledge Musona burst onto the international soccer scene in 2009 to join South African giants Kaizer Chiefs, little did he know that he was going to be an inspiration to a number of talented young players back home in Zimbabwe, especially in his home town of Norton.
Norton is situated 40km outside Harare and has been home to talented players, including Musona, who have made names for themselves both in the domestic league and outside the country’s borders.
In fact, Musona has been the best talent to emerge from Norton since the turn of the new millennium and almost every young player in this Mashonaland West Province town now look up to him as their role model.
And among these aspiring young soccer players, who are based in Norton, is 12-year-old striker Prince Milanzi whose dream is to follow the footsteps of Musona and ply his trade outside Zimbabwe.
Milanzi recently received an invite to undergo a two-week trial period at Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy in Boksburg, South Africa.
Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy were charmed by young Milanzi’s skills when they watched some video footage of him in action while he was turning out for Norton-based Aspire Youth Soccer Academy in the Harare Junior League last season.
The Boksburg-based academy’s chairperson, Life Chikarakara, last month sent an invitation letter to Aspire Youth Soccer Academy in which he indicated that they would like to assess Milanzi for two-weeks, starting from January 29, and if he impresses them, they would enrol him into their school of football excellence.
And young Milanzi, who grew up in Norton watching his idol Musona playing football for lower division side Haka before he moved to Marc Duvillard’s Aces Youth Soccer Academy, is relishing the opportunity of undergoing a two-week trial period at Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy which he would like to use as a launch pad for a career as a professional footballer.
“I was born in Norton and when growing up I used to watch Knowledge Musona playing football for Haka and I just stood there marvelling at his skills and when he joined (South Africa’s) Kaizer Chiefs before he went to Germany, I told myself that I would like to be like him by turning into a professional footballer,” Milanzi said.
Now his dream of becoming a professional soccer player is about to come true following his invitation for trials at Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy in Boksburg later this month.
“I’m really thrilled by this opportunity of having trials at Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy. I’m over the moon because I’ve never been outside Zimbabwe and this will be my maiden trip outside this country and I just can’t wait to board the plane and go to South Africa for these trials.
I personally believe that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and I’m quite convinced that I will impress the coaches at Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy and get a chance of enrolling at their school.
“My dream is to follow the footsteps of Knowledge Musona and become the second youngest footballer from Norton to turn professional and I know that this will all come through hard work and the three Ds — determination, dedication and discipline,” said Milanzi, who will this year be in Grade Seven at St Eric Primary School in Norton.
Milanzi, who is the first born in a family of four, has won several awards during his short but promising soccer career as in 2012 he was named as the Player of the Tournament at the Father Joe Alimose tournament and he also won the Most Promising Player award at the Bronzegate soccer competition which were both held in Norton.
Last year he won the Naph Player of the Year award and was the Players Player of the Tournament at the Let Them Play Under-13 tournament in Norton.
And Milanzi has finally been rewarded for his exploits on the pitch by winning himself a two-week trial at Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy who have strong links with South African Premiership side Mamelodi Sundowns.
During his trials at Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy, Milanzi, who is scheduled to leave for South Africa on January 27 accompanied by the director of Aspire Youth Soccer Academy, Vengayi Tinarwo, will also take part in the Nike Chance tournament which is designed for young, talented players who will later be picked to compete in the same competition in Spain next month.
Tinarwo said the Nike Chance tournament in South Africa will be held during the first two weeks of February and it is designed to spot talented young players who will then make a team which will represent Africa at another Nike Chance event in Spain later in the same month and he is quite confident that Milanzi will make the team for this competition in Europe.
Meanwhile, a Harare-based engineering company, Power Network Project, have come to the rescue of young Milanzi by assisting him in getting a passport.
Costa Masumbuko, the company’s director, said yesterday that they were going to pay for Milanzi’s passport fees and they were likely to meet part of his travel expenses for his trip to South Africa for the trials at Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy.
“I’m told that Prince Milanzi is a talented and promising young player and we would like to help him realise his dream of turning professional by helping in sending him to South Africa for his trials at Mighty Warriors Soccer Academy.
“We have a good working relationship with Aspire Youth Soccer Academy who are doing a great job of identifying talented young players in Norton,” Masumbuko said.
Online Reporter