Chirambadare enjoys moment in the sun

21 Jun, 2015 - 01:06 0 Views
Chirambadare enjoys moment in the sun Edmore Chirambadare

The Sunday News

Edmore Chirambadare

Edmore Chirambadare

Sports Reporter
REGGAE legend Bob Marley sang, “They say the sun shines for all, but I hear for some people, it never shines at all.”

The sun is certainly shining for Chicken Inn striker Edmore Chirambadare.

The diminutive slippery maestro is indeed living his football dream, he is on top of the goal scorers’ charts with eight goals and has deservedly added an icing on his cake by scooping the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Player of the month for March/April and May.

The former Tsholotsho player, whose performance on the pitch has earned him a call up to the national team, reveals he grew up idolising Zimbabwe’s sports icon Peter Ndlovu but it never occurred to him he would one day play in the top echelons of the country’s most popular game and going on to wear the coveted national team jersey.

Speaking to chickeninn-fc.com, Chirambadare says Ndlovu was his source of inspiration as the former Warriors captain is one of the best players to emerge from Zimbabwe.

He says his interest in the game started at a tender age when he would watch Nsukuzonke, the immensely talented legendary former Highlanders Football Club, Coventry City and Mamelodi Sundowns hitman.

“Ndlovu was one of the best players to come out of this land and honestly he is my source of inspiration,” said Chirambadare.

At the time Ndlovu was playing either for Highlanders or Coventry, the Gamecocks’ forward was yet to be born, but notably when Ndlovu was at the twilight stages of his career, the Gweru-born player had a chance to watch his role model pen it out for the Warriors.

Chirambadare has fond memories of the Swaziland massacre, where the former Zimbabwe Warriors skipper tormented the Swazis in a Cosafa tournament when he helped the Warriors crush the hosts handing them a handful of goals in a 5-0 drubbing in 2004.

It took that magnificent performance to inspire the young Chirambadare.

“Playing football has always been my dream and I am living my dream,” says the former Tsholotsho FC striker, who is affectionately known as Spanner. Chirambadare grew up in the City of Progress, Gweru, under the watchful eye of his mother Georgina Kunene, following the passing away of his father in his early childhood days.

The former Takunda Primary and Mkoba 3 High School pupil started progressing in football at a Division Two club then known as BOC in 2010, unfortunately the club folded up before the season ended.

Spanner joined another Gweru Division Two side, Zim-Alloys the following year but misfortune seemed to haunt him as coaches believed he was not mature enough to play in Division One when the team was promoted a year later. He was loaned to Gweru Pirates.

Hopeless and with his chances in football not looking certain, Spanner secured employment as a barman albeit for six months at a bar in Kwekwe in 2012, although he kept on playing football then with Silo United.

Chirambadare moved to Tsholotsho FC in 2013 after being spotted by coach Lizwe Sweswe although that year he got little game time, scoring only three goals playing as a left full back.

2014 brought a change of fortune as the soft-spoken player adapted well to the Tsholotsho set up, assisting the side gain promotion into the PSL. His season tally was 13 goals and he duly emerged the Zifa Southern Region Division One top goal scorer.

Chirambadare said it was not easy to get a first team jersey as he had to convince the technical department led by Joey Antipas that he was the right man for the job and duly getting the nod ahead of seasoned campaigners Mkhokheli Dube, Thomas Chimenya and Ismael Lawe.

And he appears to have rewarded the former Motor Action coach for the trust by scoring eight goals and three assists in 13 games.

“I am happy to have received a call up to feature for the national team and I would like to assist Zimbabwe reach levels that we are yet to as a nation. Playing outside the country particularly in Europe is every player’s dream and I believe with focus nothing can stop me achieving my goal,” said Chirambadare.

It is every player’s dream to play for his nation and abroad, certainly the sky looks the only limit for Chirambadare.

Share This:

Survey


We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds