Peter Ndlovu tips Liverpool for title

Harare Bureau

HE might have a special record of being the first African to feature in the English Premier League, but Peter Ndlovu never got as close to the EPL trophy as he did yesterday.

Ndlovu made history when he joined Coventry City from Highlanders as a teenager in 1991 and was the first African to play in the newly formed English Premier League in August 1992.
He went on to play for several other English sides, including Birmingham and Sheffield United, but the former flying winger never won the EPL title.

But yesterday, in a momentous occasion at Belgravia Sports Club in Harare, Ndlovu got close to the EPL trophy which passed through Zimbabwe en route to Zambia, as part of a tour organised by Premier League partners Castrol.

Ndlovu, who is now based in South Africa, accompanied the trophy for the Harare leg.
“I wish I could touch it (EPL trophy), but I can’t because of protocol. I played in the EPL and I was the first African, but I never got to win it,” Ndlovu said.

The former Zimbabwe national team skipper also holds another special record.
He was the first player to score a hat-trick at Anfield when Coventry stunned Liverpool 3-2 in March 1995.

But Ndlovu said he was already a Liverpool fan before he joined Coventry in 1991.
And he is hoping the Reds will lift this year’s championship although their bid took a huge knock on Wednesday when they lost 2-0 to Everton in a Merseyside Derby.

With 74 points, Liverpool are now three points behind log leaders Arsenal with four games to go.
“I still believe Liverpool will win the English Premier League, there’s no other team, Liverpool are the team,” said Ndlovu.

“Obviously it’s not looking good after last night (Wednesday), but a lot can change in the next games. Four games can make a difference.” An African football legend, who also led Zimbabwe to their first ever Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2004, Ndlovu has remained humble despite his vast achievements.
He interacted with fans freely at Belgravia yesterday.

“Maybe they (Castrol) will bring the trophy back to Zimbabwe again,” he said. “I just want to thank Castrol for bringing the wonderful trophy that everyone wants to play for. Everyone is thinking of playing in that league. We are appreciating what they have done. “To bring the trophy to my country, to my people and to me because I never got the chance to go near it.

It is a big honour for me to be part of this whole set up. “I played for a long time in this league and I never got near this trophy, we all know that. In short, I am happy I have come close to it now,” said Ndlovu.

The legend believes Zimbabwe can still export players to the EPL. He says it was because of determination and zeal that he stayed so long in England. “I gave myself to Zimbabwe, I gave myself to that league. I am a football player and I must showcase what I can do, so that’s exactly what I did.
“I motivated myself to go longer, I motivated myself to do the right things. All I did was just play my football.”

Ndlovu, who joined the EPL as a teenager, also touched on the contentious issue of age cheating.
“You see, there is one story that we normally talk about as footballers and that is age cheating. When you are proper and your age is right, you then grow with the system.

“But when you cut corners, you don’t grow with the system, I was lucky to go to England at a very young age. I actually matured into the senior team, I learnt how to look after myself as an apprenticeship,” revealed Ndlovu. However, he thinks that is now history.

“History is history, but I opened avenues, after that we had great footballers coming after me. Look at where Mo Salah is, look at Mahrez, they took from where I left off. “But above all, I really appreciate the support I got from Zimbabweans, I am very proud to be Zimbabwean.”

Premier League Trophy Ambassador, John Cochrane, also hailed Ndlovu for lighting the torch for Africans. “This is the real EPL presentation trophy, it’s the original one which will be lifted by the champions. Hopefully it will be handed over to Liverpool,” he said with a chuckle.

Added Cochrane: “I watched Peter Ndlovu play for a lot of teams. It was good to have African players in the EPL. Now we have a number of Africans in the Premier League, some from Zimbabwe.
“There’s one (Marvelous Nakamba) who is playing for Luton which is my town even though I support Liverpool.”