Kibombo in school state team
Kimba Kibombo’s career is taking another leap towards what he believes is the football promised-land.
The Harristown State High School student has been selected for the Queensland under 18 schoolboys team on the back of some impressive performances this season.
Kibombo helped bring the Darling Downs to within touching distance of the Queensland Schools Football Championship last month and has made a number of appearances for the South-West Thunder men in the National Premier Leagues Queensland.
The young forwarded reflected on a football career that almost never happened.
Having made the move to Toowoomba from Tanzania in 2013, Kibombo sought out football as his best shot of making a better life for himself and his family considering the huge sacrifice they made.
“I hope to one day pay them back,” he said.
“Where I grew up football was the number one sport next to volleyball and basketball. I started when I was five.”
It has been 29 years since the Darling Downs under 18s took out the Queensland School Championships and Kibombo’s goals almost ended that drought.
The Downs boys fell in the grand final 2-1 to Sunshine Coast, but Kibombo is confident the current group of players coming through are some of the most talented the region has ever seen.
“I had confidence I would get picked but I also didn’t think I would be the only one in my team because the boys did really well and a couple more should have been selected,” he said.
“Coming second is not that easy.”
Kibombo is looking forward to running out with Queensland and taking on some opposition players of the same age as him, something that has become a rarity the past two years.
After finally getting his first goal of the men’s NPL Qld season on the weekend against Sunshine Coast, he is confident that more will follow in what he said has been a coming-of-age season taking on some of the most experienced players in the state.
“(Their age) doesn’t worry me at all because I am confident with what I do,” Kibombo said.
“Whether or not I make it in football I will be happy with my life but if something comes from football I will go with it.”
Whether or not I make it in football I will be happy with my life but if something comes from football I will go with it.
— Kimba Kibombo