The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
A ROLLING stone gathers no moss, so goes an adage which highlights the importance of stability and permanence in the pursuit of success.
For footballers, excelling in one team for a long period would earn one legend status and be a cult hero for the club’s followers.
Former Highlanders and Masvingo United striker, Simbarashe Gate has however, thrown that notion outside the window and hopped from one club to another, leaving fading memories in the minds of fans of the clubs he played for.
While some do their utmost to stay at one team and only move when a “great” offer has arisen, Gate has played for 10 teams in 10 years in what might be an unparalleled record. Gate left Masvingo United at the end of 2007 as he brought his three-year flirtation with the club to an end and moved to the now defunct Motor Action the following year, in 2009 he moved to Botswana where he joined Tafic FC playing under the late Willard Mashinkila Khumalo before returning home for a stint with now defunct Division One club FC Windermere and then joining Highlanders where he also stayed for one year before heading for neighbours, Zimbabwe Saints.
In 2012 Gate decided to try his luck outside the country and had a fruitful stint with Mozambique’s Feroviaro Da Beira and the success achieved with the club saw him heading for the Far East, where he was hoping to secure a contract in India but the move fell through and he found himself at Maglas Stadium hunting for Shabanie Mine in 2013.
The following year he was on the move again and this time Namibia was calling and he signed for Eleven Arrows but a year down the line he was back in Mozambique but this time was playing for Disportivo de Nacala.
He was not done with India and last year the move he had been yearning for materialised and he was snapped by Indian second division side, Mohammedan Sporting Club where he is still based.
Reflecting on his nomadic lifestyle, Gate said he had no regrets, adding it has been a blessing in disguise as the game has allowed him to travel and see different places.
He said there was nothing untoward about his movements as they had not been caused by ill-discipline or an ill-tempered character on his side but they were conscious decisions made with full implications in mind.
Gate said in most instances he signed one-year contracts allowing him room to change teams at the end of each season while in some instances lack of remuneration from the teams would force him to abandon ship.
“I think naturally I am not a one club player but I was in demand when I was at home and most teams were chasing my signature so I had the luxury of choosing which team I could play for. I just found myself signing one-year contracts just to safeguard myself and have room to leave if I wanted to. I did not want to find myself unhappy but stuck at a team. I don’t want to find myself having to beg anyone once things go awry,” he said.
Gate said moving enabled him to see the world and is grateful for the different places he has stayed in.
He said facing different challenges has been another motivating factor for him.
Despite facing some communication problems at some of the teams he played for, Gate said he relatively had a smooth stay in the different clubs that he played for.
The striker said he would find himself in the starting line-up even in such circumstances because of good performances on the pitch.
Gate said he does not envy being remembered as a club legend but believes he has left lasting memories in the teams that he played for.
“I think the twist in my legacy would be that I would be regarded as the legend of all football clubs and not just one team. I think I made a mark in the majority of the teams that I played for and I have never disappointed my fans. I have never been shouted at by my own fans and have given my best effort in all the clubs I played for,” he said.
Gate’s contract with Mohammedan ends in June and he is already contemplating what his next move will be. He said there are offers from several teams in India and if his side does not offer him a new contract he might move to another club but is likely to stay in that country.
Gate’s biggest goal haul came in 2006 when he scored 17 goals, including in cup games for Masvingo, but he says being used as a midfielder and in some instances a left back inhibited him from reaching a higher score margin.
He said India has been kind to him although he had to contend with a new environment that is different culturally and religiously.
“It is not easy to play as a foreigner but my club teammates were welcoming and people are friendly so I feel like I’m at home.
There are differences in culture, like here it is women who marry men and people practice the worship of cows and snakes.
However, it has been a great experience and through my travels I have learnt a lot of things in life,” said the 32-year-old footballer, who also runs a grocery shop in Kolkata where he is based.
The Kwekwe-born forward is married to Musline and they have two boys. He said he was lucky his wife has supported him despite his nomadic lifestyle.
“She actually encourages me to look for work and travel because she understands I have to put food on the table and that is the nature of being a footballer. I am glad the distance has not put a strain on our relationship despite that I can be away from home for long periods,” added Gate, who revealed he was last in the country in February last year but would be back to sort out his permit “soon”.
