Online Reporter
TAWANDA Chirewa is a man on a mission − he wants to be a Zimbabwean football legend.
The young Warrior arrived in Morocco carrying more than boots and ambition.
He carries a name, a family story, and the hope that this AFCON can move him closer to becoming the kind of national figure every young footballer dreams about.
Over the past 18 months, the Wolves forward has grown into a central figure for the Warriors.
Three goals in 11 international appearances have underlined his rising influence, and now the 22-year-old Wolves Academy graduate steps into his first major tournament with Zimbabwe.
Although he was born and raised in Chelmsford, Chirewa insists his roots have never been in doubt.
His home, his values, and his identity were always Zimbabwean, and AFCON offers him the stage he has long imagined to repay that upbringing.
“I grew up in quite an African household. My parents are both from Zimbabwe, and my sisters were born there.
“I’m the only one of my family not born in Zimbabwe. Obviously, I was born here in England, but that’s not what my upbringing was like because my household was Zimbabwean.
“I would eat Zimbabwean food, I speak the language, my mum used to speak the language to my dad that’s all I’ve known, so when the time came, at maybe 16, my agent was speaking about whether we should try and keep pushing to get into the England youth set up.
“Or, we can go and play for Zimbabwe, and I knew straight away, because that’s what my dad and my mom, my late granddad on my dad’s side would have wanted.
“My grandad loved football as well, and I just wanted to try and represent my name. My name is Zimbabwean, it’s not English, so that’s where I feel like I belong.”
That sense of belonging is not abstract. It lives in the everyday details of food, music, and family rhythms that shaped him long before international call-ups arrived.
But what does he love about Zim culture?
“There are a few things. The food, obviously. I feel like everyone’s tried sadza. Sadza with oxtail is very nice and just the whole cultures and the vibe, like having barbecues every weekend.
“It could be cold, it could be raining, but the braai’s on, the barbecue’s on, and there’ll be some meat on there, the music’s on, and that’s the Zimbabwean vibe.
“I’m always listening to Zimbabwean music at home, even now living here, my neighbours probably don’t like me because I’m always playing music and listening to something on the piano, or whether it’s Zim dance, there’s always something playing. But that’s just how I’ve always grown up and that’s just me.”
Morocco represents a leap into the unknown, but not into fear.
“I know that this tournament is my first major tournament that I will have played in, so I just want to show the world how good Zimbabwe is.”
For Chirewa, the badge carries a weight that pushes him beyond form or reputation.
Playing for Zimbabwe is personal, and he wants his performances to reflect that bond.
“Playing for Zimbabwe was a big achievement for me. It’s something I hold really dear to my heart.
“Some people have said the way I play for them is a different kind of level, which I don’t really agree with, but maybe it’s because it’s a lot more personal to me.
“I know that this is something which is important for my family’s name and I want to be a great player for Zimbabwe, I want to be a legend for Zimbabwe, and this is something which I’m eager to do, and something which I really believe I can do.” − wolves.com/Sports Reporter
