‘Sinyo never got recognition he deserved’

Charles Mabika Special Correspondent

WHILE the late and former Dynamos midfield genius and national team skipper, George “Mastermind” Shaya, is widely regarded as the finest footballer to emerge from this country, the three names that one will hear most of the time as being rated as the next best after Shaya are Peter “Nsukuzonke” Ndlovu, Moses “Bambo” Chunga and Bruce “Jungleman” Grobbelaar.

The modern generation though will rank the former Warriors majestic duo of Knowledge “Smiling Assassin” Musona and Khama “Khamaldinho” Billiat as the next best thing to happen to local foottball above the afore-mentioned formidable trio.

And yet there are many who will also argue that Stanford “Stix” Mutizwa, Archieford “Chehuchi” Chimutanda, Joel “Jubilee” Shambo and Madinda “Kathazile” Ndlovu deserve to share the rung just below Ndlovu (Peter), Chunga and Grobbelaar.

But what about the late CAPS United, Black Rhinos and Warriors tear-away winger, Stanley “Sinyo” Ndunduma? Where does he belong?

I was driven to author this article after my colleague, Robson “The Godfather” Sharuko, wrote about an interesting event in his “Sharuko on Saturday” weekly column in The Saturday Herald three weeks ago.

He was recalling an incident back in 1988 when the headmaster at his future place of education — Sanyati Baptist High School — had asked him in the former’s office whether he was familiar with the fact that Chunga was the best thing to happen to local football then.

And Sharuko had courageously responded that Ndunduma hadn’t been given due recognition for his outstanding performances on the pitch and probably belonged in the same class as Chunga!

Although Sharuko temporarily rattled the headmaster with that cheeky response, he, however, later got accepted at the school and completed his high school education there before venturing into his tertiary journalism education’s adventure.

Was “Sinyo” in the same class — or even better than Chunga, Ndlovu or Grobbelaar?

One thing is for certain though. As Sharuko had mentioned in that office, the little wizard, who was born and bred in the high-density suburb of Mufakose, was a pure genius who deserves more recognition than he was or is still given when pundits or local football fans talk about the nation’s greatest players.

For crying out loud, “Sinyo”, together with Shaya, Ndlovu and the Green Machine’s Rodwell “Amla” Chinyengetere, are the only three players to win the coveted Soccer Star of the Year trophy more than once (Chinyengetere, Ndlovu and Ndunduma won it twice while Shaya grabbed it for a record five times).

Ndunduma, whose other two siblings also sparkled in top-flight football seldom had an “off day” in club or national team colours.

His elder brother Leon was an industrious midfielder for Black Aces while the other brother, David, was a tricky and nippy forward for Black Rhinos.

There are some (including this publication’s Sports Editor Collin Matiza) who have told me that “Sinyo’s” other elder brother, Never (late), also a right winger who never ventured into top-flight football, was more skilful and could have scaled dizzier heights than his younger brother . . . a notion that I have totally dismissed up to this day! Never was better than Stanley? Never in a million years for me!

Perhaps the most popular player of his generation, he dazzled with sheer ingenuity and was always the first name on any national junior or senior coach team’s starting line-up list.

Quiet, shy and unassuming on and off the pitch, the pint-sized forward let his skills do the talking — whether he was creating space for himself in any position upfront before getting the ball or accelerating his way past defenders or delivering perfect crosses for his fellow forwards or stupendously picking delicate spots that nestled their way into the back of the net.

His former coach at Black Rhinos, Shepherd “Shepidho” Murape, now based in South Africa, described “Sinyo” as “the kind of player who comes once-in-a-lifetime”.

“Sinyo was one player whom you told to “go and do your own thing” when the chips were down. He would transform a losing position into a triumphant streak with phenomenal artistry. He was quality personified. Yes, I do agree that Shaya is still the finest footballer I ever watched and played alongside and “Sinyo” had a somewhat similar creative and inspirational trait that has rarely been seen since in Zimbabwe’s game. I wouldn’t leave him out of my Finest Top 10 list,” declared Murape.

The late Ashton “Papa” Nyazika, who was Murape’s assistant at “Chauya Chipembere” and was also at one time “Sinyo’s” head coach at CAPS United, once described Ndunduma as “the Zimbabwean equivalent to the former Stoke City and England international superstar, Sir Stanley Matthews”, who was also a diminunitive right winger.

Nyazika further claimed that if “Sinyo” had played at Dynamos or Highlanders, many journalists and fans alike would have rated him alongside the likes of “Nsukuzonke”, “Bambo” and “Jungleman”.

A speed merchant down the right wing, Ndunduma possessed it all — pace, vision, accuracy and deadly finishing power. He cut his teeth into the big time at the Green Machine where he was crowned as the Soccer Star of the Year in 1981 following a trail-blazing season for both club and country.

He joined army side Black Rhinos a year later and proved that his top player triumph was no fluke after he scooped the number one award again in 1985.

Before graduating into the senior national team, he captained the Under-23 squad.

Ndunduma’s former team-mate at CAPS United, Black Rhinos and the Warriors, Mutizwa, described the former little wing wizard as “an unbelievable team-mate who had an amazing foresight of where and when to place a pass or a cross for his supporting colleagues when the team was on the attack”.

“Sinyo was incredible. When he gained possession on the right wing we would all race forward, itching to be the one he would “choose” to place the perfect delivery to and ready to blast or head home. He also refused to take all the credit after he engineered a goal, preferring to say that the whole team was involved,” revealed the former Warriors captain.

The debate about which player is a befitting second to Shaya will rage on for many more years to come. But like Sharuko stubbornly suggested to the Sanyati Baptist High School’s headmaster on that fateful morning back in 1988: “Sinyo” deserves to be mentioned high up in that category of the country’s finest footballers.