ZIM STAR MAKING WAVES
NETHERLANDS- BASED young footballer Matthew Mparaganda may be the future of the Warriors.
Born in Utrecht to Zimbabwean parents, the 12-year-old has a video of his goal celebration which has more than three million viewers.
Arsenal greats Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette commented on the video.
“It was my father who influenced me to play football. When I was very young he used to play football with me every day.
“My goal celebrations in De kuip went viral on Instagram, even popular players saw it. It had more than 3 million views.”
He moved from UF Utrecht to Feyenoord “This is now my third year at Feyenoord. I joined when I was 10 years playing for the under 11 team.
“Actually, I moved from FC Utrecht. My father felt that I was becoming too comfortable at FC Utrecht so when the opportunity came to join a bigger club we jumped onto it.
“I joined FC Utrecht when I was eight years. Played for under 9 and under 10 as left winger
“I moved to Feyenoord three years ago where I played for Under 11, 12 as a left winger or left back.
“Now playing for under 13 as a left central defender. I am flexible enough to play most positions. I am a strong, fast, technical player.
“The challenge was big for me in the beginning because I was moving into a group which was more talented than the one I was used to at FC Utrecht.
“I was able to adjust to my new environment and to integrate into the team after raising my standard,” he said.
He says that his ambition is to play in the Spanish league.
“I would like to be a professional football player. To achieve this I have to continue working very hard in training every day and hope one day I will able to achieve my dreams of playing for Feyenoord first team for a few years and then maybe play for Barcelona or Real Madrid etc.” Mparaganda says it would mean a lot to him if he is to be called to represent Zimbabwe at the junior level and maybe the senior level at a later stage.
“This would mean a lot, especially to my parents. At the moment I am not thinking too much into the future. I am only concentrating on working hard every day in training and not taking anything for granted. We will see when the time comes,” he said.