Sundaymail Editor
Petros Kausiyo in ALCOCHETE, Portugal
FOR teenage midfielder Preston Steblecki, the thought of training at the Portuguese top-flight club Sporting Lisbon with his Legends Football Academy teammates never in his wildest dreams crossed his mind.
The aspiring professional footballer had not yet turned 16 when their coach Farai Dhliwayo hinted during a training session at their Harare base on July 14 that he intended to travel to Portugal with an Under-17 squad on a training and assessment mission.
The team that eventually made it to Europe, including Steblecki, described their time at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy in Alcochete as surreal.
Alcochete is a town on the southern bank of the River Tagus, which is seemingly a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of city life in Lisbon.
The setting naturally helped the Zimbabwean teenagers to focus on their football.
Dhliwayo also travelled with his youngest players – Nashe Pepukai and Tadiwa Chakuchichi, who are both 13-year-old Form One learners from St John’s College.
WhaWha forward Washington Mapuwa, centre-back Blessed Mashonganyika, right-back Tendai Kaseke and left-winger Hermish Charlie headline the senior boys’ contingent, who are all 17.
The players believe they benefitted immensely from their tour.
“I didn’t believe it at first when the coach started talking about it in July.
“However, when we were then asked to submit our passports for visas, everything started to sound real,” Steblecki said.
“It’s a dream come true just to come and see what professional football standards look like.
“It has been a good journey; I really enjoyed it.
“We trained a lot and the coaches were always pushing us and telling us to believe in ourselves.”
Chakuchichi, who did not hide his joy and ambition of achieving the kind of legendary status that Ronaldo enjoys at Sporting Lisbon and in Portugal, spoke of how he had been motivated to become a better player.
“The visit to the stadium (Estadio Jose Alvarade) left me inspired to want to take my game to such a level and play for a professional club with such a facility like the Sporting Lisbon home ground,” he said.
“The main focus is on Ronaldo as he is like the best player to come out of there, and I would want to also see that happen to me.
“I want to be a professional football player.”
His close friend Pepukai is also dreaming big. “Visiting the Sporting Lisbon museum and stadium was very motivational.
“The coaches here have also told us during training to focus on ball accuracy and movement. I was also inspired by the fact that, as a club, Sporting Lisbon don’t do just one but many sports,” said Pepukai.
Mapuwa, whose brother Dibbellar is a Legends player on loan at WhaWha, is hopeful that he can become an even better striker with the kind of exposure he has been getting.
“At Sporting Lisbon, I learnt a lot of things.
“I have seen world-class facilities. I also liked all the drills that we went through,” Mapuwa said.
For 15-year-old centre-back Leo Mapurani, his biggest take-home message was the need to ensure correct positioning and work on his physique.
“The players in Europe are strong, and they really work hard at training. Even after school, they go to train and at times up to as late as 8pm,” said the ZRP Support Unit College Form Three learner.
“This tour taught me that football is not just a sport but a business and a way of life,” added 15-year-old attacking midfielder Darrel Muusha.
In-between his players’ sessions under Sporting Lisbon’s Under-17 coaches Jose Caldeira and Rafael Pinto, Dhliwayo emphasised the need to have structure and discipline. Given their ages, the Legends Academy players will return home knowing they can still perfect their art.
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter