Msendami, the next Khama Billiat

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter

PETER Ndlovu will remain an idol, one that even generations who didn’t watch him play admire because of stories they heard about the great, but for the present generation, Kaizer Chiefs’ Khama Billiat is someone they look up to.

So many players have been compared to the great Nsukuzonke as Ndlovu is popularly known, with the likes of former Warriors captain Knowledge Musona and Billiat being among those whose skills and talent were equated to the former Coventry City striker.
As new idols, legends who inspire the present generation emerge, one Daniel Msendami, a former Highlanders juniors protégé hogs limelight in neighbouring Botswana’s Premiership and his stake keeps growing by the week, he is being touted as the next Billiat.

Msendami has been a marvel for Jwaneng Galaxy who headed into this weekend’s fixtures joint leaders on the table tied on 37 points with defending champions Gaborone United after 15 games.
The 22-year-old Zimbabwean winger has scored five goals in the 12 matches he has played, providing six assists in the process. Msendami, who was on target when Jwaneng Galaxy clobbered Prisons XI 7-0 last weekend has nine starts and came from the bench in three outings.

Msendami is presently the “talk” of the Botswana Premiership, with reports that teams in South Africa, Tanzania and Qatar being interested in his services. His coach Morena Ramoreboli, who led South Africa’s Bafana Bafana to Cosafa Cup victory in 2021 rates the former Bosso-90 forward highly.
In an exclusive interview with Sunday News, Ramoreboli, whose first introduction to football spotlight was when he led Maluti FET College to victory over Orlando Pirates in the 2012/13 Nedbank Cup said Msendami is destined for greatness.

The former Bafana Bafana caretaker coach is impressed with the Nkulumane-bred dribbling wizard who did his elementary education at Sigombe Primary School before proceeding to Ihlathi High School and was spotted by Jwaneng Galaxy scouts while on loan at Central Division One side Vubachikwe of Gwanda.

“Honestly speaking, Daniel has been doing very well. I think sometimes it doesn’t matter the level you played before but what matters most is the talent and ability you possess. I think Daniel has a very special talent. The first time I saw him I compared him to Khama Billiat. I said to myself this one is going to be the next Khama Billiat,” Ramoreboli said.

The work ethic exhibited by Msendami has won him admiration from Ramoreboli, who discovered a nurtured Orlando Pirates star Thembinkosi Lorch.
“I think for every young player who manages to go into a foreign country and be able to perform the way Daniel has been performing is a matter of being consistent, choosing friends wisely and lastly to respect the game. So, I think those are some of the things I preach every day to him because I can see he has a bright future in the game but he needs us to be very strong when working with him because if we can’t be strong, his talent alone will not take him anywhere. So we need to be strong with him, making sure that we build something very special about him. He’s a very talented young man, he just needs to remain focused, remain humble and continue working hard,” Ramoreboli said.

The Jwaneng Galaxy gaffer said he has worked with numerous footballers and guiding Msendami will not be a problem.
“Fortunately, I’ve worked with a lot of young boys who are very talented and are very successful soccer players today. I don’t think that working with young players as humble as Daniel will be difficult to assist him to become a better player,” he said.
The Highlanders product Msendami moved to Botswana on a loan-deal last year in August before Jwaneng Galaxy decided to make a permanent deal that was reportedly worth US$12 000.

Msendami, who was brought to Highlanders by renowned youth development coach Dumaza Dube as an Under-15, played alongside said Andrew Mbeba and Archiford Faira who are now regulars as Bosso’s senior team.
Dube, who is now based in Namibia also ranks Msendami highly and is confident that the 22-year-old lad is destined for greater heights.
“Msendami is pure talent. With the talent he has he should have been promoted to the senior team at 15 to 17 thereabout, with the aim of European markets. I’m happy for him because he moved out of comfort zone and was never deterred after being overlooked and now he has shown what a talent he is,” Dube said.
Highlanders stand to get 30 percent of the figure from Jwaneng Galaxy’s sell of Msendami because of a sell-on clause that was agreed on by the two clubs. — Follow on Twitter @ZililoR