A DREAM COME TRUE
. . . At 20, the future looks bright for Ndiweni
THE last few weeks have been a dream come true for Michael Nqobile Ndiweni, the Zimbabwean footballer who was born in England and is rated as one of the brightest young players at English Premiership clubs.
He did not only make his Premiership debut for Newcastle United, in a stunning 4-1 romp over Chelsea at St James Park, but was part of the match day squad when the Magpies were robbed in a 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain. All this happened before the striker turned 20 on December 2.
The centre forward currently plays as an English national, having been born in that country but, like Andrew Farai Rinomhota, he is also eligible to play for the Warriors.*
Ndiweni was not involved in Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Fulham at St James Park on Saturday and, on the same day, played for the club’s Under-21 side in a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Carrington. He signed his first professional contract with Newcastle United in July last year, two years after he was named by The Guardian newspaper as one of the best young talents at Premiership clubs.
He has been part of the Magpies since joining their youth set-up at the age of 12.
“Making my Premier League debut against Chelsea was everything I’ve worked hard for since joining Newcastle’s Academy,” he told the club’s website on Friday.
“I’m so grateful and it was a special moment and I want to thank the coaches as well as my family and friends who have helped me throughout my journey.
“I found out the night before that I’d been named in the match day squad and I couldn’t contain my excitement.”
He added:
“It was so surreal and the experience is something I’ll never forget.
“To be part of a big win for the club you’ve supported as a young kid and against a top side in Chelsea
at St. James’ Park was very special.
“You gain many experiences and learn a lot from the first-team, whether that is travelling with them for away games or being on the bench.
“You get a boost of confidence from that and, hopefully, I can take those boosts and what I’ve learnt from those experiences into Saturday’s game.”
Ahead of Newcastle United Under-21s’ final game of 2023, a Premier League 2 away trip to Manchester United on Saturday afernoon, Michael Ndiweni is aiming for a positive end to the calendar year.