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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
BESIDES his prowess in the field of play, N’golo Kante is well known for his puzzling humility.
It’s so extreme.
Maybe queer.
But there is no doubting the Chelsea’s French World Cup-winning midfielder’s industry.
The energy he pours in the game dwarfs his marginal flaws.
The ultimate dream for any footballer.
Yet he is so down-to-earth and understandably even rival fans find it very difficult to hate him.
Or to hurt him.
His difficult upbringing is largely credited for his character and work ethic.
Born to poor Malian migrants in France some 32 years ago, Kante learnt to work hard to help out his family.
He had no choice. His father passed away when he was still young.
Being the first born in a family of four brothers and sisters, he had to mature early.
Kante would pick garbage in his neighbourhood of Rueil Malmaison which he sold to recycling firms around Paris to supplement his mother’s earnings from her modest cleaning job.
With the coming of the FIFA World Cup held in France in 1998, Kante didn’t only prosper due to increased collection of refuse in stadia and fan parks but he picked something which would transform his life, for good.
A significant number of African migrants, including the lightning-fast striker Thierry Henry, razor-sharp playmaker Zinedine Zidane, hard-tackling anchorman Patrick Vieira, stocky defender Lilian Thuram, and silky forward Nicolas Anelka were in the French team that won the World Cup.
That, coupled with sprawling academies in the neighbourhood that were embracing migrants made his miniature self to try an adventure that would make him a celebrity in his life.
Football.
JS Suresnes junior club located in western Paris became his home. He was the smallest in his group.
But he had the biggest heart out of the lot.
His assistant manager assistant manager Pierre Ville was quoted as saying: “Kante remained outside the radar of big teams because of his small stature appearance. Back then, he would perform tackles all day… That was his private training routine taught by no one.”
It wasn’t long before he started to attract interests from the very clubs which didn’t recognise him at first.
The rest is history.
And thousands of miles outside France, in Zimbabwe, two players, whose upbringing were more or less the same with that of Kante, regard the French star as their hero.
And for good reason.
Interestingly, both players more or less look like Kante himself.
They are both dark in complexion.
They are short, in their build.
They are both, just like Kante, box-to-box players.
And they are known for their tirelessness in the midfield.
They play the same position as Kante.
They have never played in the same team before but interestingly, they will do so at Dynamos in this coming season.
One of them, Donald Mudadi (26), is well-known in the local football circles, at least, as compared to his peer.
He graced the Soccer Star of the Year calendar in 2018 when he was still turning out for Black Rhinos.
The other one, Tanaka Shandirwa, is only 23 and virtually unknown.
He made his Premiership debut with Yadah just over 12 months ago.
And both have been deemed good enough to play for the country’s biggest team.
Yet both might have failed to realise the opportunity had they bowed down to pressure at their respective homes.
Mudadi’s widowed mother, who is now based in South Africa, never approved of her seventh and last born to pursue football. Noone, in the family had been into sport.
Mudadi saw football as the only gateway to success.
“I remember my interest in the game started while playing street football, barefoot in Glen Norah,” said Mudadi.
“But my parents didn’t like that. I would play hide and seek with them, always. Sometimes I would forego meals just to be at the training sessions while lying that I had gone to attend extra lessons.
“It was during that time that I was picked by an amateur academy (Specimen then Dutch) which were based at the Glen Norah A Community Centre. I played tournaments without football boots and I was the shortest in my age-group. I always complemented that with more work.
“I would train alone with a plastic ball, running with it on my feet for several laps at the community ground. I built endurance and strength the more I did that.
“Everyone wondered how and where I was getting the energy but I believe it’s those things that helped me a lot”.
As Mudadi rocked in the amateur ranks, Northern Region Division One Soccer League outfit Commando Bullets came knocking in 2016.
He joined the soldiers on loan.
Then he stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Stanford “Stix” Mutizwa, who was in charge of Black Rhinos, also in the First Division, took notice. Then the young Mudadi debuted in the top-flight in 2017, winning the team’s Players’ Player of the Year as well as the Rookie of the Year awards.
He repeated the feat in 2018 in a season he was also good enough to make the league’s best 11.
A scramble for his signature followed.
Triangle won the race.
It was easy for them because they were playing in the CAF Confederation Cup, having won the 2018 Chibuku Super Cup title.
“I was craving for international football. I could have stayed at Black Rhinos or joined other teams but I wanted to play in Africa.
“Then after my stay at Triangle, I joined Harare City last year before a dream offer came from Dynamos this year. I am ready to help them win trophies.”
Interestingly, he will be competing, be complemented or complement another player whom he shares the “Kante” nickname with.
Shandirwa.
Of course, Mudadi earned this nickname first in the top-flight after Black Rhinos fans saw similarities in his playing style with that of the French star.
But with Shandirwa announcing his arrival at the scene with Yadah, the “cold war” for the nickname ensued.
And the pair will not only be competing for a place but for the ownership of the prestigious nickname depending on their contribution at the Glamour Boys.
But their preoccupation is not owning the nickname.
“I am very happy to play in the same team with Mudadi. We complement each other well and we enjoy each other’s company,” said Shandirwa.
“We are at Dynamos to win together not to compete against each other. We can play in the same team at the same time as both of us are flexible to take a slightly different role. It’s actually a dream for me to play in the same team with Mudadi.
“Then even a bigger dream to play for Dynamos. I hope to replicate the form that I was in at Yadah.”
Just like Mudadi, Shandirwa didn’t have a rosy upbringing.
With his parents resisting his football playing overtures, that meant he had to do with playing barefoot at the Zimbabwe Grounds while growing up in Highfield.
He kept on changing homes at those amateur academies in Highfield until he was noticed by the then Yadah coach Genesis Mangombe.
The latter, who is now the Dynamos assistant coach, believes Shandirwa can scale dizzy heights if he maintains a good working routine.
“I have worked with so many good players but the work ethic that Kante (Shandirwa) posseses is out of this world.
“He is one player who plays with the same intensity for 90 minutes,” said Mangombe in a previous interview.
“I see him rising to the top in the not-so-distant future should he maintain the spirit.”
Maybe the two Kantes are what Dynamos have been missing.
They have endured over nine barren years.
And the two Kantes could be the messiahs to provide what has been missing, just like what their hero did for Leicester City in 2016 when inspiring them to the English Premier League title.
Of course, he would also help Chelsea to several trophies including the UEFA Champions League crown.
The good thing is, they are in familiar territory, with Dynamos coach Herbert “Jompano” Maruwa having worked with Mudadi at Black Rhinos before and his deputy Mangombe having worked with Shandirwa at Yadah.
Online Reporter