History just seems to love Kalisto Pasuwa. And the former Warriors and Dynamos gaffer loves making history, too.
Not for the first time and most likely not the last, Pasuwa has broken into another exclusive league.
There are so many exclusive leagues; only Pasuwa can fit at the local level.
But he has now gone international.
He has become the second Zimbabwean to be appointed head coach of a foreign national team after Shepherd Murape, who took charge of Namibia's Brave Warriors.
The soft-spoken and yet tough mentor is now officially the new Malawi senior men's side coach.
He was unveiled after sealing a two-year deal to lead the Flames at a function presided over by Football Association of Malawi president Fleetwood Haiya yesterday. There had been some bickering in the build-up to his milestone appointment, but in the end, the parties involved found each other and agreed to proceed with Pasuwa's unveiling.
The former Dynamos gaffer expressed excitement after landing the post.
"Obviously coaching a national team is always an honour. I am very happy and ready to take up the responsibility," Pasuwa said.
"Malawi have a lot of potential. I wish to bring discipline, tactical awareness, and a winning mentality.
"We will build a team that competes fearlessly at all levels. That is what we intend to do."
Haiya expressed his faith in Pasuwa.
"We wanted a coach who understands Malawian football and has a proven track record of success," said Haiya.
"Pasuwa's achievements with Nyasa Big Bullets and Zimbabwe speak for themselves. We are confident he will bring stability and progress to the Flames."
After scoring the huge goal, lead negotiator in the coach's management team Dee Shorai Muchineripi was left a relieved man.
Muchineripi said Pasuwa would now have more time to focus on the work at hand than being distracted by the negotiations.
"We are glad the negotiations went on well, and this day is an important day not only to the coach but for everyone in the football ecosystem both in Malawi and here in Zimbabwe.
"We are grateful to FAM, the Malawi National Council of Sports, and the Government of Malawi through the Ministry of Youth and Sport for trusting Kalisto with the Flames.
"His focus is no longer on contractual issues but on assignments ahead of him. Malawi has always been his home and is not new to the demands of the people of Malawi, having coached one of the most followed teams in the Malawi Premiership, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets."
Muchineripi said the former Dynamos gaffer has to immediately get down to work.
Malawi have to clear some qualification hurdles starting this month to rubber-stamp their possible debut appearance at the Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) finals scheduled for Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya in August.
"These are special qualifiers that will involve seven countries that had withdrawn from the initial qualifiers that took place last year.
"Malawi and six other countries -- South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Gabon, and the Gambia -- will take part in the qualifiers between February and May.
"The first round is scheduled to take place from this month-end with the first leg between February 28 and March 2, while the second leg will follow from March 7 to March 9."
The second round will be played in May, with the first leg set for May 2 to May 4 and the second leg from May 9 to May 11.
Two teams will qualify for the final tournament and will be placed in Group C alongside Uganda, Niger, and Guinea.
Along with fighting to secure a place in the Chan finals, Pasuwa will also try to salvage a 2026 World Cup place, starting with two qualifying games coming next month.
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While both challenges look like a tall order for the Flames, Pasuwa has built his reputation around his unpredictability.
He has previously led the Warriors to the Africa Cup of Nations played in Gabon in 2017, and one of the hurdles he overcame along the way was that of Malawi.
The former Nyasa Big Bullets torchbearer has a knack for creating records.
He was the first, and remains the only, coach to win the local league title four years in a row when he led Dynamos to the podium between 2011 and 2014.
Pasuwa would also go on to score another first in the Malawian Premiership when he became the first expatriate coach to win the league in the Warm Heart of Africa five times on the trot when he was at the helm of the Blantyre giants, with whom he also won several other trophies.
