BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
FORMER Warriors striker Nyasha Mushekwi capped off a memorable season in China after comfortably clinching the coveted Golden Boot in the second tier Chinese League One, with an incredible tally of 24 goals this campaign.
The 34-year-old former CAPS United hitman becomes the second Zimbabwean to win the coveted Chinese League One Golden Boot award after another ex-Warriors forward Gilbert Mushangazhike, who finished top of the scoring charts in the same league in 2007 during his time at Jiangsu Shuntien.
Mushekwi’s season tally of 24 goals which included three penalties ensured he finished four goals clear of the Nigerian duo of Meizhou Hakka’s Chisom Egbuchulam and Kingsley Onuegbu of Shaanxi Chang’an Athletic who finished joint second on 20 goals each.
Another Nigerian forward Moses Ogbu, who plays for Wuhan Three Towns, finished third in the race for the Golden Boot with 18 goals, six goals behind Mushekwi, who has been shortlisted for the Chinese League One player of the year award.
Mushekwi also achieved some landmarks in winning the top scorer’s award.
The former Warriors star has now broken the club record of most league goals scored by a player in a season and is tied on second place for the most goals in the league behind South Korean Ha Ty Kayun who won the Golden Boot in 2015 after scoring 26 goals for Changbaishan.
Mushekwi is currently the league’s most successful goal scorer having scored 68 goals in 112 matches for both Dalian Yifang and Zhejiang- more than any other player to grace the league since its inception in 2004.
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The former Zimbabwe international’s prolific scoring form this season helped Zhejiang finish the season on third position- a point behind second placed Meizhou Hakka who earned automatic promotion to the Chinese Super League alongside champions Three Towns on 79 points.
Although Zhejiang Greentown missed automatic promotion to the Chinese Super League, they however qualified for the promotional play-offs and still have a big chance of playing in the top flight league next season.
They will play a team that will finish 16th in the Chinese Super League for a place in the top flight league next season.
Despite his brilliant scoring form, Mushekwi was left out of the Warriors’ provisional squad for next month’s African Cup of Nations (Afcon).
