FOOTBALl has kindly rewarded 20-year-old Chipinge boy, Munyaradzi Mwakanya, who has found a new home at Polish third division side KSPN Pogon Krakow.
Mwakanya was spotted while turning out for CM Academy in the dusty Chipinge Community Grounds and was rewarded with a three-year contract.
The Zimbabwean has featured in all the 26 matches KSPN Pogon Krakow has played contributing to the seventh position that the team occupies in the 20-team league.
Sadly, though, they are a huge 38 points behind overall run-away leaders Wieczysta who have accumulated a massive 73 points from 26 matches, and are guaranteed of the league championship.
What is interesting about Mwakanya is that he has never been to the big cities or towns with his education limited to Gaza Primary School and Gaza Secondary School in Chipinge before going to Gedion High, also in Chipinge.
However, now that he has seen the lights in the city of Krakow, he wants to see more of the lights at even bigger cities with his aim being to break into the Polish Premiership.
“Our club has partnerships with some of the biggest teams in the country. I am working hard so that I attract attention of the big teams. "It might not be now, but it will happen,” said Mwakanya.
Some of the biggest teams in Poland include Lech Poznan, Rakow, Zaglebie Lubie, and Legia Warsaw which was once the home of former Warriors defender, Dickson Choto.
- Chipinge boy breaks into Polish league
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Former Zimbabwe Warriors captain and now coach of FC Platinum Norman Mapeza also played in Poland for Sokol Pniey between 1993 and 1994 before leaving to join Turkish champions Galatasaray.
Former Warriors coach Wieslaw Grabowski also hails from Poland and in the 90s helped the likes of Stewart Murisa, Usman Misi, and Musareka Jenitala -among others - move to Polish clubs.
Mwakanya, however, admits that it has not all been a bed of roses. He still faces language problems as he speaks English while most of his teammates speak Polish.
“They translate it to English for me so that I understand some of the things,” he revealed.
Fortunately though, coach Przemysław Dobroch and a few other players speak a little bit of English, which has made it even easier for him to settle.
In the short period he has been in Krakow, Mwakanya has observed that there is more talent in Zimbabwe compared to this part of the world, but the problem is that Zimbabwe does not have resources, something which Europe has in abundance.
As Energy Murambadoro proved, Mwakanya is another example that football talent is not only in the cities or big towns but in areas like Chipinge and Gokwe.
