MEETING Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli in the street, one would not separate his naughty behaviour off the field with his cruelty in front of goal.
Report By Brian Nkiwane But back in our local football, when someone meets Masimba Mambare, it becomes difficult to associate his meanness in front of goal with his decent life outside football.
Plucked from the deepest end of Amaveni suburb in Kwekwe by Jostein Mathuthu, the devoted Seventh Day Adventist church youth has been a revelation in the premiership since joining the topflight league at Motor Action in 2008, winning the Most Disciplined Player award on numerous occasions.
Following a colourful season in which he was named the second best player on the land, as well as top player at Highlanders, Mambare has kept his head low, unlike other stars who would start ringing goodbye bells after achieving such feats.
The lanky tear-away winger grossed a large sum of money last season for his achievements which he said he would not lay a finger on during the festive season and would only decide what to invest it in after New Year. Masimba Mambare’s football background
Mambare started his football career at now defunct Amabhubhesi, a Division Two side in Kwekwe in 2005 before being spotted by Mathuthu who lured him to join Ziscosteel during his reign together with former Highlanders striker Tobias Mudyambanje in 2006.
It took Mambare only a season to make an impact in the Region as he was voted Midlands sports writers first runner-up as well as Player of the Year at Ziscosteel.
Mambare then packed his bags for Harare where he joined Motor Action in 2008 and it took him few months to bulldoze into the first team at Mighty Bulls.
- Big send-off for Cont Mhlanga
- Inside sport: The right way to do it
- Highlanders’ away woes continue
- Inside sport: Let’s fight Zim football’s hooliganism menace
Keep Reading
“I have made a little bit of money during my first season at Bosso. But what I can tell you is that I am not going to use that money now until we decide as family. When I retire from football, I should be in a position to show off what I would have gathered during my playing days,” Mambare said.
The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Soccer Star of the Year first runner-up has not been cruel to his employers Highlanders either, as he has committed himself to the club.
He had been rumoured to be set for trials at South African Premier League side Supersport United based in Pretoria.
Speaking from his home in Kwekwe on Thursday, Mambare said he had been hearing rumours of him joining the great trek down South in search of the dear rand.
“I have been hearing about this move to Supersport. What happened is that a good friend of mine just suggested that he was going to negotiate a trial stint for me. I don’t know how this then got to be public information,” Mambare said.
Mambare, however, revealed that there were clubs that had shown interest in him but was not at liberty to reveal them.
“Of course people are allowed to try and find out if a player might care to join them and there are clubs locally that have approached me, but I am not at liberty to name them.
“I still have one year left on my contract with Highlanders and I am still on that contract. Besides, I would not want to leave Bosso without achieving anything. I have to win the championship with the club then start talking about making a move,” he added.
Commenting on the same issue, his brother Noah said they had always guided Masimba in terms of making informed choices.
“He has been terrific for Highlanders. He has to win something with Bosso and if the right time comes for him to make a move, we sit down as a family and decide,” Noah said.
