From Samuriwo Village in Zimbabwe’s Chihota communal lands, to the copper-rich south-western Polish city of Lubin.
BY MICHAEL MADYIRA
This is a fairytale football journey that has so far been travelled by former Zimbabwe Warriors defender Costa Nhamoinesu.
While herding cattle and fighting for greener pastures with other boys in Chihota, it never crossed his mind that one day he would be rubbing shoulders with international players in a top-flight European league.
Having also spent part of his childhood in Seke Communal Lands and Chirumanzu, it was at Chivizhe Primary School in Chihota where he developed interest and started playing football as a Grade Four pupil in 1995, in an attempt to escape the harsh realities of a tough life.
The frustration had emanated from being forced to relocate to the rural areas following a brief stay in Chitungwiza, where he had been at Chaminuka Primary School the previous year.
“Hard times forced me to attend five primary schools,” said Nhamoinesu.
“Even though life was hard, herding cattle was my game and we would do it even on Christmas day. It was like a hobby, meeting other guys, creating fights between big bulls, checking out new grazing lands.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
After returning to Chitungwiza for his secondary education and playing for Division Two sides Liverpool and Conplant before stints at premiership sides AmaZulu and Masvingo United, Nhamoinesu arrived in Poland at the recommendation of Wieslaw Grabowski in 2007 to sign for fifth-tier side KS Wisla Ustronianka.
The rural boy had made a stride towards striking the football fortune he now enjoys, but life was not rosy at first.
He vividly remembers during his first days in the city of Wrocław when one day at a train station, a man ghosted from nowhere and spat on his face for no apparent reason.
“I just wiped off the saliva and said ‘Lord have mercy.’ This guy was carrying a young kid on his back and I asked myself, ‘what lesson is he teaching this child?’” said Nhamoinesu.
Now this is a man who has become a permanent feature for Polish Ekstraklasa league club Zagłebie Lubin where he has made the left-back position personal.
He made a sensational permanent switch to top-flight league outfit Lubin in 2010 after an impressive two-season loan spell.
Now, especially during away matches, he has become accustomed to Polish racist chants like “kurwa jebac czarynuchu”, meaning “f*** the black Negro” or “pierdoly czarny”, translated to “black s**t” and sometimes “wypierdalac murzyn”, meaning “f*** off nigger”.
Despite all that, the 27-year-old is enjoying life in Poland where he has been staying for the past seven years.
His Nigerian teammates Martins Ekwueme and David Abwo, who he is close to, also grew up under the same rough African terrain.
“We meet sometimes and talk about stories back home. We have similar backgrounds so we get along well and enjoy our time together. We even sometimes eat African meals prepared by Martins’ wife,” said the Wedza-born defender.
Legia Warsaw’s former Warriors defender Dickson Choto, according to Nhamoinesu, is like a big brother, always chipping in with advice, while another compatriot Harlington Shereni’s younger brother Patmore is his best friend.
“Outside football, life is all about oneself in Poland, unlike in our African society. I rarely speak to my neighbours, mainly because of my tight training schedule but if I am to bump into them it is a simple ‘hello’ and we go our separate ways. People here make friends from their workplaces or when they meet during parties,” said Nhamoinesu.
“Living in Poland has taught me about the importance of time. I have learnt to make fast transactions and calculations and this has improved my awareness on everything. You have to be punctual in everything.”
