Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi and Curtworth Masango
THE domestic football fraternity waits with bated breath as the panel of football experts today gather virtually to select the best players for the 2025 Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year.
Coming in the absence of no clear front runners, following a diluted season for many of the players, the prospects of big surprises cannot be ruled out.
The panel of journalists, coaches, captains and selected experts have an unenviable task this year as they have to sift for the 11 best players out of the 540 registered players.
As usual, it will be difficult to get consensus. And as has been the case in recent years, the Soccer Stars calendar is likely to assume a new complexion since most of the players who made the finalists last season found it tough to replicate their form.
Most of the players blew hot and cold and some appeared in fits and starts. As has been the norm with most of the selections over the years, the team that wins the championship produces the bulk of the Soccer Star selection.
In this case Scottland, who made history by becoming the first team to win the title in their debut season since Black Rhinos in 1984, will be on the spotlight.
The Mabvuku side have reigning Soccer Star of the Year Walter Musona in the books this season, but the forward could not quiet replicate the form that won him the coveted gong last season at Simba Bhora.
Their chief marksman Tymon Machope looks a sure bet after a super-charged performance in the second half of the campaign, which saw him finishing on 15 goals.
Scottland also had some top performers in Peter Muduhwa, Albert Manenji and Kevin Moyo, who has been touted by some pundits for the top gong.
The biggest threat to the Scotland players, though, was that they were rotated more regularly, denying them the opportunity to establish themselves.
Runners-up MWOS are also expected to come in with a shout, with their goalkeeper Martin Mapisa, midfielder Tinotenda Mutyambizi, winger Nigel Matinha and striker Billy Veremu among the prospects. Abubakar Moffat, who joined mid-season also mesmerised during the second half of the season.
Second runners-up Simba Bhora, who had five players on the final short-list last year, also had some worthy performers but the club fizzled out in the homestretch as they surrendered the title to Scottland.
Midfielder Emmanuel Ziocha has been placed among the outstanding players because of his impressive statistics in the engine room.
Defenders Webster Tafa and Isheanesu Mauchi are in line to bounce back on the calendar after consistent performances for the Shamva side. The other players expected to be involved in the mix include Tawanda Macheke and Washington Navaya of TelOne. Navaya is the Golden Boot winner after banging in 17 goals this season.
Defenders Andrew Mbeba of Highlanders and Dynamos’ Emmanuel Jalai have also been outstanding despite the giants spending most of their campaign fighting against relegation.
FC Platinum midfielder Jarrison Selemani was also in top form, as was striker Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya before his departure to South Africa during the mid-season.
Historically the forward players have an edge over the other departments when it comes to winning the top gong. But a surprising and formidable challenger has emerged from an unlikely source: defender Kevin Moyo of Scottland.
Moyo stands out not just for his talent but for his unparalleled consistency in a season of calculated player rotation.
In a star-studded squad where coach Tonderai Ndiraya frequently rotated his line-up, Moyo was the immovable property.
He is the only player in the entire squad to have featured in all 34 matches, forming the impregnable core of the defence that propelled the Mabvuku-based side to a historic maiden title. His case for the award is further strengthened by a season of remarkable discipline; across the entire campaign, he amassed a mere two yellow cards.
However, as the virtual polls open today, Moyo faces his moment of reckoning.
Voters have traditionally favoured goal-scoring heroes and creative engines over defensive stalwarts.
The last defender to claim the coveted award was Dennis Dauda with ZPC Kariba back in 2014, an 11-year drought Moyo aims to end.
If he succeeds, the ever-present champion will etch his name alongside a rare class of defensive greats, including Dazzy Kapenya (2002) and Cephas Chimedza (2004), finally defying the odds to prove that a title-winning foundation can be as valuable as the flash that finishes atop it.
Former ZPC Kariba stalwart Dauda put his weight behind Moyo ahead of the poll.
“There’s a persistent bias in how we rate players. The spotlight is always on who scored or which keeper kept a clean sheet, leaving many defensive contributions underrated,” said Dauda.
“Look at Moyo’s season performances, he had been nothing short of outstanding, consistently dominating his area of the pitch.
“He executes his role flawlessly and, in my view, ranks among the elite.
“The fundamental job of a defender is to defend, yet we often only highlight them when they score.
“That’s an injustice. A player of his calibre deserves recognition for his primary function, his exceptional defensive work,” said Dauda.
The winners will be crowned at a banquet to be held in Harare on December 5.
