Harare — SOUTH of the Limpopo, a teenage Zimbabwean football star is creating waves and making such a huge impact that some respected analysts have started to believe that he might be the best thing to happen to the local national game since the explosion of a genius called Peter Ndlovu.

Knowledge Musona might not be a household name here in Zimbabwe, but the teenage speedy forward from Harare is beginning to make his presence felt in South Africa and the whole country is beginning to notice his quality.

Former Zimbabwe international striker Alois Bunjira, who is slowly gaining widespread respect in the media as a brilliant analyst, evens claims that Musona reminds of him Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o  one of the greatest African forwards of all-time.

Bunjira, who starred for Darryn T and CAPS United here before crossing the Limpopo to play for FC AK, Wits, Jomo Cosmos and Mamelodi Sundowns, believes that Zimbabwean football has just unearthed a gem of a forward in Musona who could transform the fortunes of his national team.

Musona, the former Zimbabwe Under-17 captain, was bought by Johannesburg giants Kaizer Chiefs in June this year and moved to the Naturena club alongside fellow countrymen, defence pillar Thomas Sweswe and wingback Zhaimu Jambo.

The 19-year-old was plucked from Division One side, Aces Youth Academy, after impressing a Chiefs' scouting party in a league match for the Highfield side.

Given that he never played for any of the giants of domestic football like Dynamos, CAPS United or Highlanders or, just 90 minutes in the local Premiership, it's easy to understand why the speedy forward is largely an unknown quantity here at home.

But that might not be for long given the waves that the brilliant teenage Zimbabwean striker is creating across the Limpopo.

Tonight Musona and his Kaizer Chiefs teammates will take on Free State Stars in a South African Absa Premiership match at the Charles Mopeli Stadium.

It's a match that pits Musona against a club from the Free State, where the Zimbabwean striker has happy memories, following his one-man demolition job that destroyed Bloemfontein Celtics as Chiefs powered to glory in the Macufe Cup last month.

Musona grabbed a hattrick in that game which Chiefs won 3-1.

Tonight's match starts at 20h15.

Free State Stars won their 100th league match, in 308 Premiership ties, when they beat AmaZulu 1-0. But they have also lost 99 times in the league and a defeat tonight will make it a century of losses.

Jonathan Mensah, the teenage Ghanaian striker, was the hero when Stars beat AmaZulu for only their second league victory of the season, and he is relishing the visit of the Glamour Boys.

Mensah recently won the Fifa Under-20 World Cup with Ghana and, like most people, he has been impressed by Musona's performances.

The Zimbabwean striker comes into this match bubbling with confidence after scoring twice in Chiefs' 3-3 draw against Black Aces in Mpumalanga on Wednesday.

"I got to see Musona playing against Aces and we know from watching him that he is a deadly finisher. This is a big game for us and we need to put up a big performance to stop Musona and his teammates."

Bunjira believes Musona is so special he could be the next Samuel Eto'o.

"The youngster has been on fire these past few weeks for Kaizer Chiefs," Bunjira, who is a columnist for The Sunday Mail, was quoted as saying by South African football website Football365.co.za.

"His finishing is sublime. His runs off the ball always remind me of Samuel Eto'o. He is a sniper par excellence. With the right attitude and guidance, we may have another export to Europe sooner rather than later."

Another former Zimbabwean international, Edzai Kasinauyo, who was the agent in Musona's move to Kaizer Chiefs, also believes the teenage forward could be a huge hit.

"I am aware that he is still young and needs a little bit of protection, but that doesn't mean he must be denied an opportunity to play at this level," said Kasinauyo.

"I think the Chiefs coach is doing a good job though, by introducing him gradually. I know that everybody is looking forward to seeing him play but I want to say to the Amakhosi fans, they mustn't be too excited with what the boy has done so far.

"There is still a lot to come from him because I know him very well. He is very brave and hungry to succeed. I have always had faith in him and I have been following his progress in the game back in Zimbabwe.

"I am not surprised by what he has achieved in the short time that he has been in South Africa. I am expecting him to take each game as it comes as I know that to play for Chiefs is such an enormous task.

"But with experience, I predict a bright future for him."

There has been concern about the apparent failure by Zimbabwe, since the emergence of Peter Ndlovu, to produce forwards of genuine quality.

That debate was not limited to the Zimbabwean media alone but in South Africa --- a country that has tapped a lot into the talent that is produced in this country.

"What has happened to the country that gave the world a classy Peter Ndlovu who was so good during his days at Coventry City that the British equated him to the legendary George Best?" was the big question that came from Football365.com.

"Ndlovu, Africa's longest-serving player in England after more than a decade, was originally spotted by John Sillet prior to his official signing from Zimbabwe soccer giants Highlanders by Terry Butcher, the subsequent Coventry City manager in July 1991.

"His immediate impact, by scoring away at Arsenal and then a thunderbolt winner against Aston Villa, instantly endeared him to Sky Blues fans.

"The Zimbabwe-born icon would score some memorable goals during the period, including becoming the first away player to secure a hat-trick at Anfield for 30 years.

"A veteran of 100 international games, Ndlovu still remains Zimbabwe's all-time leading scorer for the Warriors. He also capped his lengthy international career by leading his nation to qualification for their first African Cup of Nations in 2004 in Tunisia, as well as their second appearance at the 2006 tournament in Egypt.

"But for the past few years, Zimbabwean football has failed to find a replacement for the man they call the 'Flying Elephant' and the nation has failed to match the achievements of 2004 and 2006.

"Some players have come close to proving that they can replace Ndlovu, such as Manchester City's Benjani Mwaruwari, but ultimately the Warriors lack a true goal-scorer up front and this has had a negative impact on the national team's performances.

"But that might be about to change with the arrival of Kaizer Chiefs' youthful forward Knowledge Musona.

"The 19-year-old certainly brings a ray of hope to Zimbabwean soccer followers. The promising youngster has come in at Chiefs and shown so much potential that Zimbabweans have come to believe that if well nurtured, Musona could be an asset to their success-starved nation."

Sweswe is convinced that Musona is set for dizzy heights.

"Knowledge has shown a lot of promise but he is still young and there is a lot that he has to work on to become the great player he ought to be," the experienced defender told Football365.co.za.

"He has to capitalise on the fact that age is still on his side, he must take instructions seriously and remain focused. But so far I'm impressed, he listens to the coaches and takes advice from seniors.

"He did extremely well in the junior national teams and one hopes he'll do the same when he gets to the senior national team.

"That's why we need continuity in our national teams. We can't afford to lose players like him. I've seen some youngsters do well at junior national team level only to end there."

Botswana national team coach Stanley Tshosane, believes Amakhosi coach Vladimir Vermezovic is handling Musona expertly.

"The boy is talented but he is still young and, at times, throwing him into the deep end is not necessarily the answer so I think Vlad knows what he's doing," said Tshosane.

"I know the fans might want the boy to play 90 minutes but maybe the coach feels he's not ready for that."

Chiefs' assistant coach Ace Khuse told Football365.co.za that they were aware that Musona was special and they were slowly building his confidence and managing his entrance into the first team.

Musona believes he is ready for the big time.

"It's always important to dream big and aim high. My desire is to learn as much as I can and achieve more than what Tinashe (Nengomasha) has achieved with Chiefs," Musona said.

"Tinashe has been fantastic to me and helped me adapt.

"My biggest dream is to win trophies with the team, represent my country and play for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. This calls for me to work hard to get a starting berth in the team.

"I have received standing ovations from the Amakhosi fans and that translates to a good welcome and would like to repay their faith in me.

"They are a great lot. I do not feel under any pressure at all and I will always play my usual game, while also following the coach's instructions, as football is the same everywhere."

Having scored twice in midweek, Musona is likely to be thrown into the deep end from the start for Chiefs tonight and, if he scores again, his growing love affair with the Amakhosi fans will grow even stronger.

Crucially, he could be taking another step towards greatness.

KNOWLEDGE MUSONA FACTFILE

First name - Knowledge

Last name - Musona

Nationality - Zimbabwean

Date of birth - 21 June 1990

Age - 19

Country of birth - Zimbabwe

Position - Forward

Premiership Goals For Kaizer Chiefs - Three

Goals In The Macufe Cup - Three

Chiefs Top Goalscorers 2009/2010 Premiership Season

Siphiwe Tshabalala 4

KNOWLEDGE MUSONA 3

Nkosinathi Nhleko 3

Rene Letsholonyane 3

Kaizer Motaung Jnr 2

David Mathebula 1