Why the smiling assassin is glum
JOURNALISTS wanted a sound byte, but the Belgium-based striker weaved his way through them silently. Getting him to speak inside that Rufaro Stadium tunnel was a Herculean task. And when he did speak, it was slowly and to the point.
“A lot of things happen and some of these things make us feel unappreciated as players,” he said.
“To a large extent that’s how I feel but I just have to keep to myself. However, what I know is I will forever remain a Warrior, I have always felt honoured to wear the Warriors jersey and I will continue scoring goals for my country no matter what.”
It seems the poor preparations and apparent lack of concern for the national team by Zifa are wiping away the Smiling Assassin’s famed smile.
The 25-year-old KV Oostende forward has been touted as Zimbabwe’s next football king after the legendary Peter Ndlovu - the country’s all-time leading scorer and inspirational skipper who led the Warriors to their first- ever African Nations Cup appearance in 2004.
Musona has shown potential since September 4, 2010 when he scored his debut Warriors goal in the 1-1 draw in Liberia. He took his tally to 12 last weekend and given his age plus the rate at which he is grabbing goals, there are many who believe Musona has a realistic chance of surpassing Ndlovu’s 38-goal mark.
Nine of those golas have been scored in the 14 World Cup and Afcon qualifiers he has featured in.
He is almost at par with the late Adam Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari’s World Cup and Afcon tallies and is also closing in on the legendary Agent Sawu who has a combined tally of 15 goals in those competitions.
“It is always an honour to score for your country, I do not do it for myself, I do it for the country, for the fans and for my coaches of cause,” said Musona after last weekend’s draw.
While many felt the Warriors were below par against the Syli Nacional, the on-fire striker reckoned they did well against a dangerous opponent.
“That was a great match,” he said. “We played against a reputable team that is Guinea and I must say it was unfortunate we didn’t get the three points we wanted.
“But if you look at it the other
FOR a man who had just saved his country from a sticky situation - for the umpteenth time - Knowledge Musona was surprisingly subdued after the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea at Rufaro last Sunday.
way, it was not a bad result after all. Guinea are always strong and we have always struggled against them, so the brighter side is that we got away with a point.”
The last time Guinea came to Harare, in June 2012, Musona and former Warriors linkman Ovidy Karuru were labeled traitors after Zimbabwe fell to a 0-1 defeat.
Their commitment was questioned and an investigation into their conduct launched after dodgy and unspecified allegations by Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze.
Nothing was ever proven, and Musona felt betrayed enough to announce his retirement from international football at just 22.
However, he returned to the fold a few months later following pleas from the public and football officials.
That sad chapter is closed, and Musona is fully focused on helping his nation to a third African Nations Cup finals appearance despite the frustrations that come with dealing with Mashingaidze and company.
“We have a very strong team, strong in all departments and you saw by the kind of performance we put up against Guinea.
“Despite the draw, we still have a strong chance of qualifying. Guinea, who I think could give us problems in this group, now have one point from their two games and we are on four.
“However, we shouldn’t be worried with how other teams are playing in their matches, we just have to win ours.
“The next game against Swaziland in March next year is very crucial, we have to pick up points in that game,” said Musona.
Zimbabwe play Swaziland in Mbabane on March 23 next year, before hosting the return fixture four days later in Harare.
They will then face Malawi at home on June 3 before making what could be a decisive trip to Guinea on September 2.
With the touch of class Musona exhibited when scoring that Warriors equaliser last Sunday, hope abounds that the forward will lead the nation to the promised land.
For now, the Smiling Assassin is back in Belgium where he has scored four goals in five matches for KV Oostende who were second on the Belgian Pro League table going into last week’s international break.