Ngwenya’s dance with Germany’s Bayern Munich

IF the quality of a player is in the dress room one has been to or the opposition he has faced, then Joseph Ngwenya deserves his place among the greatest talents to come out of Bulawayo and Zimbabwe.

The list of teams his career was associated with includes Nsukamini Primary School, Mzilikazi High School, Njube Sundowns, Railstars, Coastal Carolina, Los Angeles Galaxy, Columbus Crew, Houston Dynamo, New England

Revolution, Austria Kaeufern, Bayern Munich and Antalya Spor.

Born in Bulawayo on 30 March 1981 bred in the city and Mkhayeni in Mangwe District, Ngwenya attended Nsukamini Primary School.

He played for the school team as a forward and has a lasting memory of a 4-0 humiliation by Losikeyi Primary School featuring Vusa Tshabalala who starred for Railstars in the early 2000s. It was in a City Primary Schools Championship final.

He moved to Mzilikazi High School where he was an outstanding athlete and pupil. Ngwenya went as far as ‘A’ Level making a mark both in class and on the field where he was instrumental in the school’s 1999 CocaCola Championships with Johannes Ngodzo, Elvis Mpofu and Vusa Nyoni, among his teammates.

He pays tribute to then headmaster Cuthbert Chiromo for encouragement in both education and sport.

The Njube lad was identified by Njube Sundowns who played him in Division Two of the Zifa Bulawayo Province.

After impressing Ebson ‘Sugar’ Muguyo and Tito Paketh when both were part of the Railstars technical team, Sundowns boss sold the two players to Railstars.

He lined up with Collin Nyambiya, Givemore Manuella, Mulenga Chewe, Kelvin Maseko, Master Masiku, Thabani Sibanda, Morgan Chenga, Wisdom Sibanda and Johnstone Shambarume at Railstars.

He has fond memories of the project under legends Sugar Muguyo and Tito Paketh.

“I remember after we were signed and given our signing on fees, we bought packets of milk with Johannes and a loaf of bread that we devoured township style without a knife.

“I went straight to buy a mobile phone, a big gadget called Mango at the time.

I was one of a few pupils at the school with a mobile phone.

I recall vividly, it was blue in colour,” said Ngwenya with a chuckle.

He seemed set for the big stage as Chewe Mulenga’s partner in the Railstars attack.

But when Illan Elkaim presented an opportunity for the lad to marry academics and football in the US, the railwaymen community in sport suffered a great loss.

Former Railstars secretary Norman Magada, a staunch supporter of the player they called Skippy or Mphonyana said this after the flew out of the country.

“We have lost a great talent as a team.

The boy was headed far,” said Magada, whispered to me as he just could not stomach the boy’s absence from the Railstars side in the winter of 2000.

At the time of his departure to Coastal Carolina in the first quarter of 2000, Ngwenya was among the top three goal scorers with Mulenga and Zenzo Moyo.

“We were joint on nine goals with Chewe, everything seemed to be going well for me as I played just behind the Zambian as a false nine.

It was an offer I took with both hands and I am grateful for what Elkaim did for me and others,” said Ngwenya who has not forgotten where he came from.

He sings the praises of all that were part of his football journey here and abroad among them Chiromo, Sundowns’ Joshua Mhizha, Goodson Gama, Albert ‘Nuje’ Pandala and Gift Banda.

He was at Coastal Carolina from 2000-2003 graduating with a Mathematics Degree and another in Computer Science.

So prolific in his new found position of centre forward that he was National Scholar Athlete of the Year, National Collegiate Athlete Association leading goal scorer, All-America and he broke scoring and assist records for his conference.

He was picked by Major League side Los Angeles Galaxy as the third overall choice.

He was in the same draft with Freddy Adu and Clint Dempsey who went on to play for Fullham in the United Kingdom.

Awards continued to follow his path with a 2005 MLS Cup and US Open Cup triumph making him one of the most decorated Zimbabweans in American soccer.

In the same year he moved to Columbus Crew, a club most of Africa got to know in the 1990s when it signed South African poster boy Doctor Khumalo.

He won the golden boot with that club.

In 2007 he was in the books of Houston Dynamo and an MLS Cup win over New England Revolution was a career highlight there after he scored the equaliser.

In 2008 Ngwenya’s brilliant showing attracted interest from Europe and he turned out for Austrian Bundesliga side Kaeufern.

Then one of the biggest breakthroughs by any Zimbabwean player, came.

A dream move to a club known all over the world for its football brilliance and a galaxy of stars to be envied by any sober football pundit and fan – Bayern Munich.

“It was a dream move for me. Bayern are one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Perhaps the timing was bad, my arrival coincided with the arrival of Thomas Muller.

It was then decided that I be loaned out to Antalya Spor, a club that John Shoes (South African) played for in Turkey,” said Ngwenya.

In his off-season training stint after the move to Bayern, Ngwenya had the chance to train and play with Lucio, Ze Roberto, Phillip Lahn, Toni Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Muller, Luca Toni, Lukas Poldoski and Miroslav Klose.

A majority of these players have rated among the world’s best and in their midst was the Bulawayo lad.

His biggest memory at Bayern Munich was featuring in the German Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund rated among the universe’s biggest clashes.

Ngwenya returned to the US to play for Houston Dynamo, DC United and Pittsburgh Riverhounds where he retired at in 2014 at the age of 33, happy with his collections from the game.

Among the notables he faced were the likes of Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Michael Owen.

“I was never overawed by meeting some of the world’s top players. In the US I had already played against some of the biggest names.

It was always game on for me and I gave it my best,” said Ngwenya, who as a teenager faced the might of Dynamos, Caps, Highlanders and Zimbabwe Saints, in the country’s most high profile matches.

He had a dance with the Warriors under Valinhos and described as an honour to be of service for his country.

“My first call up was for the first Afcon finals under Sunday Chidzambwa.

I was coming from injury and I actually aggravated my groin during the team’s first training session and that was it for me.

I would have loved to be in Tunisia with the rest of the team.

It’s always great to represent one’s country,” said Ngwenya, a legendary football figure in Zimbabwe and in the US college and league scene.

Ngwenya says the US is on the right path for greatness with solid development structures for both men and women.

Success for his adopted country, he said will be as a result of the clearly spelt structures from early childhood up to senior sport were sponsorship is plenty plus.

Since retiring, Ngwenya who is in a long relationship with an American woman, has done investment banking where he has been facilitating mergers and acquisitions with some top banks.

He is now Director of Corporate Strategy and Investments and technology company Cisco.

Ngwenya is home one holiday with his mother, sister and maternal uncle.