The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
HE has done really well in the few months he has spent in Tanzania with six goals as well as four assists for Azam in the Vodacom Tanzania Mainland Premier League yet Prince Dube attributes success in the East African country to his teammates.
The 23-year-old has not taken time to settle in Tanzania where he has been involved in 10 of his team’s 18 league goals, with the Chamazi Millionaires on top of the log with 25 points as they search for that elusive league title they last won in 2014.
“It’s a great feeling, I am grateful I went into a foreign land and I am settling well, I am doing my best, all I can say is thanks to my teammates, it’s not about me, it’s all about the team, we are doing it as a team. I wish to continue doing more and helping the team to do well going forward,’’ Dube said.
He seems to have struck a telepathic understanding with his teammates, from the training ground to the actual matches.
“It’s about the understanding, we do understand each other, from the training ground, we know that someone will do this movement going forward so I think it’s about a team effort, doing something together. I can’t score goals without my teammates, everything for me it’s about the team,’’ he said.
Many have been wondering if the defenders in Tanzania are not tight in their marking compared to those in Zimbabwe where Dube scored 12 goals in all competitions for Highlanders in 2019.
He had this to say: “For me it’s just the same, here in Zimbabwe and Tanzania, we have a good midfield, we have good passers of the ball, they understand me too much, they know that if I do this run, they will put the ball there. It’s all about the understanding.”
Since Dube moved to the East African country, the big question has been which country has a more demanding league between Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
“Tanzanian football is too competitive, it may be the same but I think the standards are a bit different, Tanzania is a bit more up than Zimbabwean football,’’ Dube said.
His biggest aspiration remains to play in one of biggest leagues in Europe, in particular England, France and Belgium.
“I have always dreamt of playing in those competitive leagues in Europe, be it France, Belgium and England. One day I wish to go there and showcase my talent. I try to keep my head low, continue working hard, if there is something solid, those things are for my managers to deal with. For now, I just want to focus on playing my football and do my best with every chance that I get to play,’’ he said.
Moroccan champions, Raja Casablanca are said to be lining up a US$1 million for the Warriors striker and Dube said he would not mind making a move to another African league if the money is good.
“Nowadays football is about money, if I get a good offer, I can go there, the leagues in Egypt, Tunisia, it’s just the same as Europe.”
While he is trying to adjust to eating rice and chicken in Tanzania, he misses his family back home.
“The life is good, I am starting to settle, in Tanzania we eat rice and chicken, isitshwala you can eat it once a week. I miss my family, being with my family, getting to be together with the people that I love, my friends, I miss them,’’ he said.
Dube recently became a father to a baby girl and as would be expected a white wedding with his fiancé is lined up in the not so distant future.
“I can’t really say in the next few months but in the near future, I can’t specify a date, it might be a month or after a year, I wish to have a white wedding, my wife would be grateful because that’s what she wants the most,’’ he said.
— @Mdawini_29
