Nhunhama dreams big

Collin Matiza Sports Editor
AFTER having spent the past two years plying his trade in the United Arab Emirates, young Zimbabwean soccer player Tawanda “Fantafire” Nhunhama is now dreaming big.
The 25-year-old attacking midfielder wants to follow the footsteps of Zimbabwean football idols Peter Ndlovu, Bruce Grobbelaar and Benjani Mwaruwari by turning professional and play top-flight soccer in England.

Nhunhama is currently attached to Dubai FC who play in Division One in the United Arab Emirates.
He joined the club in June last year after having had a stint with another side there, Dubai Vets.

This followed his arrival in the Middle East in 2011 from South Africa where he was playing for former South African Premiership side Jomo Cosmos.

Nhunhama, who began his soccer career at Agatha Sheneti Soccer Academy in Harare, is one of three Zimbabweans who are currently plying their trade in the United Arab Emirates.

The other two are Blessing Mutsveta, who is his teammate at Dubai FC, and former Warriors rightback Noel Kaseke who is on the books of that country’s Premiership side Al Nasr.

Nhunhama is currently back in Zimbabwe as he is out injured with a thigh strain for two weeks.
The midfielder told The Herald yesterday that although a top United Arab Emirates side Al Ahli are interested in his services, his dream is to one day play for a top English Premiership club.

“I think it’s every (African) player’s dream to play football in Europe, particularly in the English Premier League and I think with hard work, I can make it.

“I’m just taking one day at a time, trying to first make a name for myself in the United Arab Emirates and if an opportunity comes up for me to play in Europe, I’ll definitely jump for it,” Nhunhama said.

But the young player, who has his roots in Harare’s high-density suburb of Mbare, is currently enjoying playing his football at Dubai FC under the guidance of coach Steven Rutter, a former player of English Premiership sides Liverpool and Crystal Palace.

Another Briton, Omar Dobouny, is Rutter’s assistant at Dubai FC.
And since the club has some strong English connections, Nhunhama thinks that he will one day find himself plying his trade in the demanding English Premier League.

“It will be a dream come true for me if I end up playing football in England just like what Peter Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwaru did but I have to be very patient because there are no short-cuts to success.

“At the moment I’m enjoying myself playing football in the United Arab Emirates where soccer standards are rising after each passing season since some of the world’s top players are now being attracted to play football there because of the big money the clubs there are now paying to foreign players,” Nhunhama said.

Former Italy captain, Fabio Cannavaro, left his country to join Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates before he retired from professional football in 2011 due to an injury-troubled season at this club and lately Ghana’s star player Asamoah Gyan was also lured to play football in the oil-rich country.

“Their Under-21 side was recently at the World Cup and so you can see that football is on the rise in the United Arab Emirates,” Nhunhama said.

The talented Zimbabwean player also revealed that he had trials at Al Ahli last season and was successful but the club could not sign him up as they had already filled their quota of five foreign players.

“Clubs in the United Arab Emirates are allowed to have five foreign players, that is three from overseas and two Asians, and when I had trials at Al Ahli, I impressed their technical department but the club couldn’t sign me because they had filled their quota of foreign players.
“But they indicated that they would like to have a look at me again and I might end up playing for them,” Nhunhama said.

Another top side in the United Arab Emirates, Al Ain, are also interested in the young Zimbabwean player who comes from a footballing family.

The late former Dynamos and CAPS United coach Obediah “Wasu” Sarupinda is his uncle and his (Nhunhama’s) father, Sydney, used to turn out for the now-defunct Northern Region Division One side ProNutro in the 1980s.

His other uncle, Owen, played for former Premiership side Rufaro Rovers under the late John Nyamasoka whilst another of the Nhunhamas, Stanford, had at stint at CAPS United in the early 1980s where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Stanford “Stix” M’tizwa, the late Joel “Jubilee” Shambo, Stanley “Sinyo” Ndunduma (late), Friday Phiri, Shacky “Mr Goals” Tauro (late), Dixon Ngwanya (late) and Steven Chisango.

Young Tawanda Nhunhama started his career at Agatha Sheneti Academy in 2000 as an Under-13 player and was groomed there by coaches Shame Nemasango, Mike “Mickey Dread” Madzivanyika, George Madira and Sammy “Somo” Mavhenyengwa.

Between 2001 and 2004, the talented attacking midfielder went to Churchill High School where he played soccer under Clayton Munemo before he moved Prince Edward School after he was offered a scholarship because of his exploits on the pitch.

Tawanda Nhunhama did “O” and “A” Levels at Prince Edward where he played alongside Eusebio Manuere, who is currently playing in Portugal, former CAPS United centre-back Danger Fourpence, Hippo Valley’s Fidelis Mangezi and Highlanders goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya to name but just a few.

The year 2005 saw Tawanda Nhunhama joining former Premiership side Shooting Stars before he went back to Harare United after completing his “A” Levels and played alongside Ali Sadiki, Pride Tafirenyika, the Mubayiwa twins Patrick and Peter, Munyaradzi Diya, Elvis Meleka and Hardlife Zvirekwi.

He later left Zimbabwe in 2007 to pursue his studies in South Africa where he also played college football but he could not manage to complete a move to Wits.

Jomo Cosmos was his next port of call in South Africa before a Spanish soccer agent named Alberto lured him to the Middle East where he first joined Dubai Vets in 2011.

Nhunhama spent a year at Dubai Vets and then moved on to Dubai FC in June last year.
He helped the club to finish second in Division One but he managed to win the Golden Boot award after finishing the season with 21 goals in the league and eight in cup games while his fellow Zimbabwean teammate Mutsveta won the Best Goal of the Season accolade.

Apart from playing for Dubai FC, Nhunhama is currently studying for a degree in Accounting Science at Middlesex University.