Kambato's big stepping stone

...player hopes to use Mozambique as gateway to Europe

Agateway to get into Europe. That is essentially what Uetuuru Kambato's move to Mozambique is all about. The former Tura Magic striker recently joined Costa do Sol to become the second Namibian to play for the club, following closely on the heels of Elmo Kambindu, who spent about six months at the team last year.

While both players are strikers, they are also two different players.

Kambindu is regarded as a target man, whereas Kambato is “speedy, [and] can finish off a game in a split second.”

That is how Timo Tjongarero, the man responsible for discovering Kambato, described the player.

He adds: “Uetu is an amazing talent; he is very technically gifted. I think he is the modern type of player you need in the game”.

That talent has now earned him a move to one of Mozambique's biggest teams.

But how does the 23-year-old, left alone in a foreign country, plan to execute his dreams?

The PlayMaker reached out to Kambato to find out what led to the move and what he hopes to achieve.

Didn’t see it

The player, who has been in Mozambique for less than a month now, admits that being in Mozambique came as a surprise to him.

“I can tell you that I didn't see myself playing in Mozambique at all. But then, I can't decide my destiny.”

Despite the surprising turn of events, Kambato says he is enjoying the country so far.

“Mozambique is a beautiful place, full of life with its beautiful ocean. I feel good to be here at Costa do Sol. I am getting along very well with the players. It is just the language [Portuguese] which is giving me tough times but yeah, I'll catch up,” he told The PlayMaker.

As stated earlier, Kambato is not the first Namibian at the club and it begs the question if the fact that Brave Warriors star Kambindu played at the club, helped him settle in?

“Elmo is a good player and they loved him here. But things have changed. [There is] new management, new players and things are different now as I can see. [But] it's not the fact that Elmo played here which helped me settle. It's just about me having the right mindset,” Kambato declared.

Great history

Costa do Sol is one of the most successful sides in Mozambique, with their 10 league titles only matched by Ferroviario de Maputo. Kambato's new team ended in fifth place in last year's Moçambola, with Black Bulls crowned as champions.

It is, therefore, part of the team's objective this year to win back the title they held in 2019, before Covid-19 saw Mozambique failing to play club football for two years.

Kambato is eager to add to that rich history.

“The team has a great winning history and over the past few years it has gone down. I just want to help the team win by scoring goals. Goals win games, and when you win games you win the league,” the striker said.

Goals, and plenty of them, are what Kambato has in him, his former mentor at Tura Magic, Tjongarero added.

“I think in the last season when we had football in Namibia, he was clocking about six to eight goals, which is good for a youngster… Because of his speed, he gets a lot of opportunities but then you need a cool head inside the box and that is what we taught him at the club. We hope the guys in Mozambique will enhance it, so that he can really become the finished product,” he said.

It is for that reason that Kambato can state: “I'm confident that I will be a great asset to the new club's project.”

Target

As for what he hopes to achieve, it is perhaps important to hear why the Moçambola is a perfect fit for the young striker's ambitions.

“When you look at Mozambican football, they have a strong connection with the Portuguese league. So, that is the emphasis… To get him into Europe as soon as possible because the European market normally looks [at players] before they turn 26,” the vastly-experienced Tjongarero stated. Kambato is on par with that goal. “I wish in these [next] two years I find myself in Europe. For sure, it's a goal,” he says, before also stating that one of his dreams is playing in front of a packed crowd.

“I dream of playing in one of the biggest derbies in the world, but with a full crowd. I know Covid made a huge change to that. But I just feel like big games like derbies are just my thing,” he said.

Naturally, talk of representing the country would also be on the cards given that Kambato only played at U/23 level.

“I dream of playing in one of the biggest derbies in the world, but with a full crowd. I know Covid made a huge change to that. But I just feel like big games like derbies are just my thing.”

The striker concludes by saying his hand is raised up when it comes to the Brave Warriors.

“Playing for the Brave Warriors has always been my biggest dream as a footballer. I think that now, I'm ready to join the national squad,” he smiled.