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Zimbabwe: Chance for Chinyama to Prove Self With Warriors
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 Published by the government of Zimbabwe |
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The Herald (Harare)
30 May 2008
Posted to the web 30 May 2008
Robson Sharuko
Conakry
Zim international striker Takesure Chinyama has gone through a lot in the past two years -- from coming face-to-face with blatant racism in Europe, becoming the leading light in attack at his club and being ignored by his country's national football coaches, writes Robson Sharuko in CONAKRY, Guinea.
He has taken it all in his stride.
As the Warriors searched -- and failed -- to get a trusted marksman to provide goals at a regular interval, Chinyama was banging the goals in the tough Polish league.
He was not playing for an ordinary village side but the biggest team in Poland but even as the goals flowed, no one back home appeared to notice.
He did not complain or lose his determination, being the gentleman that he is, and quietly went about doing his work and letting his goals speak for him.
Finally, Warriors coach Valinhos could not resist his goals any longer and called him to play for his country whose campaign for a place at the 2010 World Cup and Nations Cup finals gets underway here on Sunday.
Big and blessed with lightning pace, Chinyama is a dream old-fashioned striker.
He terrorised defences in Poland last season in which he scored 15 league goals.
Now can he do the same job for the Warriors?
Or has the disappointment of being ignored on a number of occasions drained the confidence out of him?
"At my age I always thought that my chance to play for the national team would come so I was not really disappointed when I did not get the call.
"Now that my chance has come, I am happy to be in the team and alI that I can hope for is to do my best if I am selected to play.
"I have always wanted to play for my country and it is an honour for me to be here representing my country.
"The last game I played for my country was against Botswana in a friendly at Rufaro and because I did not score in that game, I was not really satisfied with my performance."
He was still playing for Hwange in the domestic Premiership when he played for the Warriors on that occasion.
Things have changed now and Chinyama is a fully-fledged professional in Europe.
He believes that he has learnt a lot from his short time in Poland.
"I believe that there has been a great improvement in my game since my move to Poland. I think that I am a better striker.
"My confidence has improved and this has led to the number of goals that I have scored for my team in Poland."
Chinyama has done so well in Poland that it will not be a surprise if he gets a call from a bigger club in Europe.
If that happens, will he move?
"I cannot say that I will move or I will not move. Right now I just want to concentrate on improving my game.
"You have to remember that this was my first season at such a big club and I think I have done very well.
"Now I need to keep working hard and do even better whether I stay at Legia or if I move on, I still have a contract with Legia right now and that is where I should focus on at the moment."
Chinyama is a nice young man who has already found it easy to mix with the regular members of this Warriors team.
He has seen a lot in Europe -- from the challenges that come with being a professional to the burden that comes with being a black player -- to win your trust when he tells you that he is mentally ready for any mission.
We all knew that he had pace, that he could sweep past defenders with ease, that he could attack from either wing and that he had power to deliver.
But there were concerns about his technique and his goal ratio did not match the chances that came his way.
And when he made his debut for the Warriors at Rufaro in a friendly international a few years back, he froze on the big occasion and disappointed those who supported his cause.
But he believes that is all part of a past.
The future, he believes, starts on Sunday when the Warriors takes on the National Elephants of Guinea.
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An entire nation is waiting for its new goal-scoring hero.
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