That gloomy news aside, The Warriors have otherwise been enjoying one of the most positive epochs in their history. Prior to this year, the team had qualified for three consecutive African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments, while star striker Knowledge Musona is perhaps the most exciting talent to come out of the country since the days of the Ndlovu brothers. But could the talisman overhaul Peter and Adam to become Zimbabwe’s top scorer of all time? We investigate below.
Hanging up his shooting boots?
Several weeks after FIFA confirmed that Zimbabwe would not be allowed to compete in the qualifying rounds for the 2023 edition of the AFCON, Musona took to Twitter to announce his retirement from international duty. In his tweet, Musona said that he felt the time was right to concentrate on his club career, with then-caretaker manager Norman Mapeza agreeing with Musona’s assessment of the situation.
Musona’s retirement coincided with that of international teammate Khama Billiat and there has been intense speculation that both decisions were motivated by an unhappiness with the way that ZIFA was being run. There is hope, then, that Musona could row back and return to the international fold if the situation changes. The final sentence of his farewell message, which included the phrase “I remain available for and close to the Warriors to assist in any capacity where I can”, gave further fuel to that theory, too.
Cleaning up its act
Of course, any U-turn on Musona’s act would surely be contingent on ZIFA being reinstated by FIFA, in both a theoretical and a practical sense. After all, the Zimbabwean national team have not kicked a ball together since February 2022 and if that continues for too much longer, it wouldn’t matter whether or not Musona made himself available for selection, since there would be no fixtures to select a squad for.
Again, however, there are encouraging intimations on that front. In April, a six-member delegation of FIFA visited Zimbabwe, sparking rumors that ZIFA had agreed upon a roadmap for achieving compliance with the governing body’s requirements. Although no further announcements have as yet been made, a breakthrough is expected very soon as the qualification process for the 2026 World Cup will be finalized during the course of the summer.
In high demand
As for Musona himself, the 33-year-old is playing some of the best football of his life at the present time. He has spent the last two seasons plying his trade in the Saudi Professional League, where has scored eight goals and contributed nine assists for Al Tai last year. That tally of 17 goal involvements was one better than the great Cristiano Ronaldo, who could only manage 14 goals and two assists.
As a result, Musona has found himself in high demand this summer and earlier in June, he wrapped up a transfer to newly promoted Saudi Pro League team Al Riyadh. The division itself is enjoying an influx of talent at the moment, with Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves and N’Golo Kante all rumored to be moving to the Middle East in the very near future. Playing alongside or against that caliber of footballer can only be positive for Musona’s game.
Time on his side
Last but not least, there is the question of Musona’s age to consider. Having just turned 33 very recently, Musona is certainly in the latter stages of his career – but it should be remembered that Peter Ndlovu, the country’s current top scorer with 37 goals (12 more than Musona), played well into his thirties. Since the two share a similar goalscoring ratio, it’s reasonable to believe that Musona can overhaul his compatriot if he plays until a similar age.
Indeed, Musona would only need to bag three or four goals per year until hanging up his boots at the same age as Ndlovu to claim the record. Since it’s feasible that he could score that many in a single game, those who like to visit a Bitcoin sportsbook to place a flutter on their man going the distance could benefit from some very attractive odds right now.
There’s no denying that there are a variety of obstacles for Musona to overcome if he is to become Zimbabwe’s top goalscorer, chief among them FIFA’s ban and his own decision to retire. But if he’s fit and firing for the national team once more, there’s no reason why he can’t cement his place as a national legend on the scoring charts.
Post published in: Featured