Where are the young football strikers?

Langton Nyakwenda

THE legendary Moses Chunga was only 21 when he scored a record 46 goals for Dynamos to claim the then Super League Golden Boot back in 1986.

Two years later, Chunga became the first Zimbabwean footballer, after Independence, to join a European club, when he signed for Eendracht Aalst Lede of Belgium.

They still celebrate Chunga in Belgium and the former Zimbabwe captain is currently in Europe on an invitation by Eendracht Aalst Lede. Alois Bunjira was also 21 when he won the Golden Boot in 1996, after banging 23 goals for CAPS United.

Leonard Tsipa, Cuthbert Malajila, Nyasha Mushekwi and Knox Mutizwa were all 22 when they won the Golden Boot.

Tsipa won it with CAPS United in 2004, Malajila did with Chapungu in 2007 and Mushekwi with Makepekepe in 2009. Mutizwa (Highlanders) was the league’s top scorer in 2015.

However, Sageby Sandaka could be the youngest Golden Boot winner in the history of the Premiership, as he won the award with Amazulu in 2003 at the age of 18.

His 17 goals helped the now defunct Usuthu to their maiden and only Premier Soccer League title.

In fact, between 2001 and 2015 all the Golden Boot winners were below the age of 30.

But the trend changed in 2016 when Tsipa won his second top goal scorer award with CAPS United. He was 34.

Since 2016, the award has been won mostly by strikers aged 30 or over. Four out of the last six winners were 30 and over.

Dominic Chungwa was 31 when he won the award with CAPS United in 2017 while Rodwell Chinyengetere was 30 when he powered FC Platinum to their second consecutive league championship in 2018. William Manondo was 31 when he won the gong in 2022.

Ngezi Platinum Stars striker Takunda Benhura was 22 when he won the award last season while Clive Augusto was 25 when he claimed the boot with Chicken Inn in 2019.

The average age of players vying for this year’s Golden Boot race is also interesting.

Highlanders’ Lynoth Chikuhwa, who leads the chart with 16 goals going into the final round of the 2024 season, turns 30 in May.

Trailing Chikuhwa by three goals is Yadah Stars talisman Khama Billiat who turned 34 in August.

CAPS United’s 33-year-old forward Manondo and Tymon Machope (31) of Simba Bhora are also among the top scorers.

“The reason we now have this situation is that as a country we are not producing a cluster of good goal scorers.

“If you look at it, the average age of the top scorers these days is 30 but back then we used to have young and lethal strikers,” noted Dynamos coach, Lloyd Chigowe, who is also a renowned junior development guru.

The legendary Chunga thinks strikers of today lack imagination and are afraid to take risks. In an interview with this publication last year, Chunga also spoke about the coaching methods being employed by coaches.

“You are as good as you train,” said Chunga.

“Coaches should conduct drills that stimulate scoring,” added the former Dynamos star player.

A local coach who refused to be named thinks the shortage of youthful strikers is caused by coaches who are afraid to play young players.

“If you look at it, most of these coaches only go for experience, that’s why we have strikers approaching 30 or are over 30 at most of these Premier Soccer League teams.

“But if you check the ages in Europe you will see that strikers in their early 20s like Erling Haaland of Manchester City are already breaking records,” said the coach.

Former CAPS United star, Bunjira, blames the current situation on a lack of “proper developmental structures.”

“We now have a Premiership of late bloomers. Most of the players are actually developing on the field because we have deviated from the norm and we have taken a wrong turn.

“We no longer have proper junior football development structures. The structures are wrong and they are producing half-baked products,” says Bunjira.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns player believes scoring is an art that is refined by proper training.

“Secondary school football was also important in developing players but now it’s dead.

“We used to have secondary school derbies in most high density suburbs which attracted huge crowds.

“This system moulded players at an early age, because you got used to play and score many goals in high stakes matches at an early stage.”

Added Bunjira: “Many people want to blame the economy or lack of infrastructure for the current demise but I beg to differ.

“We were raised in the ghetto where we would walk several kilometres to play football and we were developed by dedicated people on dusty grounds in Chitungwiza.

“Practice makes perfect and I am a beneficiary because my mentor Wieslaw Grabowski would wake us up, me and Stewart Murisa, at around 530AM to do some drills in shooting and stuff.”

Bunjira and Murisa formed a deadly combination that powered CAPS United to their first league title post-Independence in 1996.