Barely a decade ago, Ngezi Platinum Stars' Ellson Mweha was a mere village boy who, together with his mates, loved playing football while herding cattle in rural Karoi.
He never imagined someday celebrating the championship or playing in the prestigious CAF Champions League.
Or that he would be the toast of the day in Ngezi Platinum's Castle Challenge Cup, after beating giants Dynamos in a 2-0 thriller at Baobab.
Claude Mapoka gave an early lead, five minutes before the break, with second-half substitute Mweha going on to extend the platinum miners' lead, 20 minutes before full-time.
"Khedha" as he is affectionately known feels that his rise to the Ngezi Platinum Stars' fold is a typical rags-to-riches tale.
He pictures himself proudly putting on the blue kit, his right palm on his chest, singing the Zimbabwe National Anthem on the African Safari.
"The picture is vivid in my mind and it motivates me to push harder every day," he chuckled.
He recalls how he accidentally became a star.
His journey started when he, out of the blue, found himself on the pitch, during his days at Nyamambizi Primary School.
"At school, no one knew that I could play football. I only enjoyed playing with my friends while herding cattle. So, one day during a ball games festival, my teacher asked me to fill up a slot on the school team after one of his players got injured," he said.
"Little did I know that these few minutes would instantly throw me in the spotlight. Since then, he (the teacher) made sure that I attended training."
As his family's fortunes turned around, they relocated to Karoi Urban where Mweha then enrolled at Karoi Junior School.
Here, he voluntarily joined the school team and in no time, grew to be one of the most trusted players. He was also entrusted with the captain's armband.
Being a genius both on the pitch and in class, his parents would support his passion for the game.
In 2015, he attended trials at Guinea Fowl High School and secured a secondary school scholarship for himself.
"Things moved fast that year. I made the cut for the COPA Coca-Cola tourney and emerged the top goal scorer of the tournament," recalls Mweha.
"I was selected on to Team Zimbabwe which travelled to South Africa the following year."
It was also around that time that Mweha joined BN Academy.
However, the budding star was to face a challenge. With his family based in Karoi, he had to attend training at BN, a Harare-based academy.
To see his dream come alive, Mweha had to move in with his uncle in Harare.
As if that was not enough, in 2020 when he would have made his Castle Premier Soccer League debut with Black Rhinos, the lad had another challenge to face.
"We had some contract and registration issues, I could not sign with the club so I left," he recalls.
Shortly after, Covid-19 came and Mweha became club-less.
Uncertain when the pandemic would end, his frustrated parents would take him out of football.
"They wanted me to pursue my education . . . despite the frustrations, something urged me on so I trained alone."
Early in 2022, without his parents' approval, Mweha attended trials and cut Ngezi Platinum Stars U-19s.
In no time, he rose to be a vital cog on the Klifton Kadurira-led side before being promoted to the seniors a season later.
"My parents felt that I was not getting a breakthrough," he said.
"To keep myself motivated, I read newspapers and surfed the internet on how some athletes rose to fame and I believed that one day it would be my turn to tell the tale.
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"When I then got promoted, my parents started supporting me."
Now he is on the verge of playing on the African Safari.
Mweha notes that if Ngezi are to make an impact at the CAF Champions League, they have to bank on teamwork.
"Everyone in the squad plays an important role and is instrumental in the overall success, whether you come in with the first 11 or off the bench.
"CAF is as important to me as it is to everyone, we need unity but for now we are focusing on retaining the championship," said Mweha.
"We are all eyeing opportunities that come with the Champions League so we should be careful not to get carried away by the hunger for personal glory.
"I am looking at the experience that I will gain by playing there, as an under-23 . . . this is something big for me."
