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Danai Chitakasha Special Correspondent
IT was the legendary French football star Eric Cantona who dismissed Didier Deschamps as “(Zinedine) Zidane’s water carrier.”
This was a statement of contempt because in the enigmatic genius’ eyes, Deschamps offered very little on the pitch. All he did was to disrupt the opposition and give the ball to Zidane.
In this article, allow me to celebrate the unsung heroes in most teams, the underrated, the ones who are often overlooked when superlatives are written. I will give the magical ten names just to initiate the debate.
In order to expand the research, I asked a number of people about their views. Lloyd Chakari, a Hwange Football Club super fan through and through, gave me a glut of names of players he felt were very good but remained unsung heroes on a national level.
He said: “Fabian Zulu was a great player but surprisingly he does not feature prominently in most football discourses. It is not a surprise therefore that he never got a national team call-up despite his ball carrying abilities and football skills!” He added: “Brian Njovu was an accomplished defender but very few fans who are not from Hwange talk highly about him. Witness Munkuli was a very good goalkeeper but was only noticed when he moved to CAPS United. Nerves, however, sometimes let him down. “Chenjerai Dube was also very good but he is rarely listed when great goalkeepers are listed. Malvern Longwe was one of the best dribblers I ever saw, he had a knack of humiliating established defenders. We always knew Method Mwanjali as a very good player who started off as a winger, became a midfielder before establishing himself as one of the best defenders to play in our local league.
“We also had Charles Chilufya who came to Hwange together with Joseph Mwanza. The two were unsung heroes while at Hwange.
“The icing on the cake has to be our only Soccer Star of the Year award winner in 1997, Walter “Elnino” Tshuma. Despite this remarkable achievement, many still question his pedigree in our football narrative. This is the curse of the perceived small team mentality in our nation’s football discourse. Many good players are ignored,” concluded the Chipangano fan.
I also had a word with legend Cephas Chimedza. Here is a summary of the names that he gave me. They are interesting names which some fans will struggle to remember.
“Artwell Mabhiza has to be high on this list. He was simply fantastic for CAPS United during the 2004 and 2005 championship winning years. Geofrey Ndlovu, at Black Rhinos, was classy at the back during the time of coach Dromment Chirowa when they reached the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup.
“Blessing Gumiso, at Highlanders, gave the Bosso machine some balance. He was very good with or without the ball. Philemon Kutyakureva spent years playing for the Dynamos reserves and being a fringe player but proved his worth at Sporting Lions.
”Kelvin Maseko was highly regarded at Rail Stars, he was the main man but fans rarely talked about him then and now. What about Andrew Chisunga at Shabanie. They nicknamed him “Umbro” but when good goalkeepers are listed, he will be lucky to get a mention!” said the 2004 Soccer Star of the Year, Chimedza.
Dear reader, here is my list of the underrated players who graced our domestic football league.
Cheche Billiat — If one goes online to search for this man, one will be lucky to find anything written about him. The search is likely to point one to his nephew Khama Billiat. About Maxwell “Cheche” Billiat there is very little about his exploits. Indeed, I struggled to find a photo of the man. Cheche was an unsung hero for CAPS United, his boyhood club. If anyone is to be called a “water carrier” in the mould of Didier Deschamps, then Cheche is that man. He was a robust tackler and allowed his best friend on and off the pitch, the indefatigable Joe “Kode” Mugabe to shine in the middle of the park. What a player he was!
Langton “Govender” Mutimba — Solid at the base of the Black Rhinos midfield, which included ball artists like Stanford “Stix” Mutizwa and Hamid “Muzukuru” Dhana, Mutimba’s contributions were often unheralded. A “water carrier”? I think I will put him in that category in a positive way. He was a ball winner, kept it simple and allowed the creative midfielders to shine.
Arnold Tsunga — When Tanganda won the Castle Cup by beating highly-fancied CAPS United, all eyes were on the exploits of talented midfielder Lloyd “Samaita” Mutasa. The ball controls, the dummies, the no-look passes, “Samaita” had the ability to lift fans from their seats. But who were the silent grafters so to speak? Arnold Tsunga was one such unsung hero. The man himself explained this phenomenon about why some players often pass unnoticed. He said: “When the team is under attack, the fans are apprehensive, when the team attacks, the fans cheer and enjoy the game more. Attack-minded players become more prominent but the grafters are often ignored. That is why players like Johnson Mbaradza and myself lived in the shadow of Mutasa in that midfield department “. What an insightful comment.
Kembo Chunga — He was a really good striker, a hustler who created space for others. He established himself as one of the best strikers at Dynamos. Then his young brother Moses “Razorman” Chunga arrived and Kembo was overshadowed. He continued to score goals but the limelight was now on his sibling. Up to now, very few fans talk about Kembo, it is clearly a case of out of sight, out of mind. One football analyst, Chief Thuram Mangwiro, summed it up cryptically: “Pane mazita ane zodzo, Kembo was a good player, but in life there are players whose fame is smaller than their talent!” Such was the case of Kembo.
Farai Chigama /Hope Chihota — I will talk about these two together because of what their former captain at Dynamos, Memory Mucherahowa, told me about them. “The two boys were unsung heroes, they helped me to shine. Fans underrated them, especially Farai, but I knew value. One day (when we were playing against CAPS United at Rufaro), Joe Mugabe complained and said: ‘Memo, dzora vapfanha vako avo, vanyanya’. They were giving him little room to maneuver. That was how good they were” said the former DeMbare inspirational captain.
George Mudiwa — If you ask fans to make a list of the top 20 Zimbabwean goalkeepers over the years, the acrobatic George might not get a mention. Mudiwa was, however, a very good goalkeeper who, despite his short stature, was good with crosses. He deserves to be lauded more for his exploits, especially in 1996 when CAPS United won the league title.
Masimba Dinyero — Nicknamed “The Member In Charge “, fans also called him “Muranda ” for his humility and the commitment he showed to football. He was a true servant of the game but remained underrated. To date many fans still question why he won the Soccer Star of the Year award in 1989. I am also guilty of that football snobbery towards Masimba. I take this opportunity to repent.
David Zulu — A servant of Zimbabwean football. He played for Hwange, Rio Tinto, Arcadia United and the senior national team but he is not always mentioned when great midfielders are mentioned. Mukoma Francis Nechironga had this to say about the legend: “The commitment to training was unparalleled. Noone packed a thunderbolt like Zulu!” I would not agree more.
Mike “Dread” Madzivanyika — He is the personification of underrated! Maybe it was his personality, he was an introvert and this might have counted against him, especially at senior national level. Mike served Black Aces and Arcadia United well. His teammate at Arcadia United Francis Nechironga had a word: “He had an eye for a pass, if you made a run as a striker, rayiuya bhora! He was a dream midfielder for any striker!” said the former bustling striker.
Benjani Maruwari — It has to be “The Undertaker” to conclude my discussion. He stayed briefly in Zimbabwe before moving to South Africa to join Jomo Cosmos. His talent soon took him to Europe with Grasshoppers, Auxerre, Portsmouth (he is a cult hero at Pompey), Manchester City (he scored a goal in the Manchester derby) before winding his career with Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland. A rich CV like this should seal his place in the Zimbabwe Hall of Fame. And yet there are doubts. Many fans still question his talent. They put his remarkable achievements to sheer luck. “Raki munoriwana kupi rak?” the legendary Oliver Mtukudzi sang.
Benjani was indeed talented and it is that talent which took him places. Our fans should accept this, there is no luck or “raki” (in football), as Tuku put it.
Indeed, there are many players who fit the above category and I hope this list can ignite the debate.
Sisonke!
Online Reporter