adminRay Bande Senior Sports Reporter
“My strength was in good ball passing. It started at a very early stage when we were playing plastic balls in the streets of Lobengula High Density suburb and I cannot really say there is anyone out there who really taught me that. It was only natural.”
This is former national team, Zimbabwe Saints, Dynamos and AmaZulu midfielder, Ronald “Gidiza” Sibanda’s take on his olden days as a football player, in a career that earned the admiration of many across the country.
Gifted with consummate intelligent reading of the game, an excellent touch and pin-point passing, Gidiza was always a marvel to watch whenever he was in action in the middle of the park.
His ball spraying antics that earned him the childhood nickname “Gidiza”, which means dancing in Ndebele, charmed even his team’s opponents.
For the record, this is the same man who signed a record Z$1 million transfer fee around 2002 to join the then expensively assembled Amazulu which was owned by Bulawayo businessman, Delma Lupepe.
So expensively assembled was Amazulu that the team paraded big names on the domestic scene such as Norman Komani, James Phiri, Esrom Nyandoro, Herbert Dick, Golding Dube, Goodson Gama, David Mkandawire; Nkosana Gumbo; Mkhuphali Masuku, Voster Chitemu and Gidiza himself
Such was the larger-than-life instincts that Gidiza possessed to the extent that even today, his inclusion in Zimbabwe 11 of All Time in post independence era can still be justified.
Sadly, with the way things are unfolding in our football today, it will certainly take much, much longer for the nation to produce yet another Gidiza.
Born August 29, 1976 at Lupane Hospital, Gidiza, who shared his experiences in football with The Manica Post Sport on the sidelines of the just-ended Copa Coca-Cola tournament in Bulawayo last weekend, said lack of passion to play the game among talented players have left the country with mediocre players.
“I think we were a generation that loved football. We had the passion to play the game. We inherited it from the generations that came before us. They had the passion to play the game before they thought about anything else, even money. Today, most of the boys that we have think about cash. During my time as a player one would wake up and go on a road run and the normal club training would come later. Yes, money is an issue, but that has to come after one has established himself as a player who can play for any club. Today, we have some half-baked players clamouring for money even before they entertain the crowds. No. It should be the other way round,” said Gidiza.
Since his national team debut in 1998, Gidiza went on to earn 89 senior national soccer team caps, he won four COSAFA Cups and two runners-up medals, the Thabo Mbeki Inauguration trophy and Namibia 10th Anniversary Cup with the Warriors.
In his admirable career, Gidiza scooped two Independence Cup runners-up medals, a Castle Cup runners-up medal, and Champions of Champions trophy with Zimbabwe Saints and the Madison Trophy and Madison Trophy runners-up medals with Amazulu.
As if that was not enough, Gidiza featured at two Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) editions with the Warriors.
This was despite failing to play in competitive foreign leagues.
Interestingly, Gidiza is one player who grew up in Bulawayo, rose to stardom, but somehow never played for Bulawayo flagship outfit — Highlanders.
“I never played for Highlanders at all. Here in Bulawayo, I played for Saints and Amazulu, not Highlanders. I could have joined Highlanders at some point in my career, but Dynamos came with a good offer and I liaised with Bosso officials to add up something to their offer or at least match the Dynamos offer. They refused and I had no choice, but to join Dynamos. I do not regret not having played for Highlanders because I went on to play for an equally big team – Dynamos,” said Gidiza.
Apart from failing to turn out for his hometown giants Highlanders, Gidiza was also just unlucky not to have made any impact beyond the country’s boundaries.
“I almost joined a team in Cyprus after having made the grade together with Buffaloes’ Nyarai “Nyangwe” Masunda and another player, but we were just unlucky that the head of the technical department changed during the off season when we intended to join them the next season. Then the new coach who came in had other plans and decided against signing us,” said the soft spoken player-turned-radio football analyst, who would score an average of 10 goals per season during his playing days, with, of course, plenty of assists.
Just like any other player, Gidiza has his memorable moments in the game that gave him fame and one match he will hardly forget is the one the Warriors played against Algeria away in Algiers.
“One thing that I remember most about that match is that it was the first match that Peter Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari played together as twin strikers. It was an Afcon qualifier in 2004 that ended in a two-all draw. We played good football that earned the admiration of the Algerians,” he said.
But where did Gidiza emerge from, some would question.
“I was born in Lupane, but came to Bulawayo at an early age. I was so much into football from an early stage when we used to play plastic balls in the streets. From thereon I enrolled at Mawaba Primary and I remember we used to beat every school here in Bulawayo during our time at Mawaba Primary. I later went to Plumtree High. By the time I went to Plumtree High I was already playing First Division football at Form Two. My brother, Bongani Mafu realised the talent in me and helped nurture it.
“Later, just after Form Four, Adage Gumbo, who was Gibson Homela’s friend, brought me to Zimbabwe Saints. You can imagine, I fitted into the team just like that. By then Homela was building a team around juniors. We had the likes of Muzondiwa Mugadza, Chris Kawema, Mlungisi Ndebele and the late Dumisani Dube among others,” said the 2005 Soccer Star of the Year finalist who is now married and a father of two — Brendon and Brian.
“The two are not so much into soccer, but they play it. Brain is average, but if Brendon really wants to be serious about it he can go places,” said Gidiza as a parting shot.
Online Reporter