“He is such a joy to watch. We are blessed to have a player like him in our team and all he did today was an exhibition of what we see at training every day,” CAPS United gaffer Lloyd Chitembwe said of his midfield maestro.
By Munyaradzi Madzokere
This was after Joel “Josta” Ngodzo had put up yet another splendid performance, guiding the Green Machine to a 3-1 victory over relegated WhaWha on the last day of the 2015 Premier Soccer League season.
The season started in uncertainty for the most expensive player in the history of Zimbabwe football as former club Highlanders left him in the cold until CAPS United gave him a chance. This season Ngodzo has had a fairy tale which ended with a call up into the provisional African Championships (Chan) squad.
One match that comes to memory is the EasyCall Cup quarterfinal match where CAPS United beat Hwange 3-1, in which he scored one and had a hand in two other goals in an afternoon of extraordinary ball artistry, vision and skill on November 14.
Ever since his mega money transfer to FC Platinum in 2011 — believed to be around $60 000 — trouble has stalked the talented short and stout footballer, with stories of alcohol and drug abuse, brushes with the law and general indiscipline flying left, right and centre.
He hasn’t recovered the Midas touch that made people believe a future Warriors’ playmaker had been found.
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The man who was easily the best league player on view in the last five matches spoke to Standardsport.
“I believe that I have always been good; it’s only that people did not trust me anymore. After issues over my weight I had to work and push hard to prove I could still play and I am grateful to CAPS United for giving me the opportunity,” said the 26-year-old star.
After spending the 2014 season with Highlanders, Bosso denied him a new contract on the grounds that he was overweight, as well as disciplinary issues, resulting in the man popularly known as Josta being clubless at the beginning of the season.
He almost joined a Division One side BCC Golden Lions and even contemplated hanging his boots before Mark Harrison, then Makepekepe coach, decided to rope him into his squad.
Josta was rather modest on his recent call-up to the 32-member Warriors training squad for the Chan finals.
“That’s what football is like. All I did was play my football and I was not even thinking about the national team, but I am happy because I have been rewarded for what I have been doing in the field of play,” Ngodzo said.
Ngodzo, who remained in Bulawayo after CAPS United crashed out of the EasyCall Cup at the hands of league champions Chicken Inn last weekend, also spoke about the club he now loves the most and his future with it.
“The current CAPS United team is very good in all departments and will fight for the league championship next year if it is retained, but it always comes down to issues to do with money and contracts,” he said.
“For example, my contract with CAPS United is running out and they may not renew it but if they do, the money has to be right because this is our job as footballers and we need to look after our families.”
Judging by his recent performances, it would be folly for the former Cup Kings not to renew his contract.
By Josta’s standards, his stay in Harare has been rather quiet and incident-free, which means he might just have learnt his lesson and decided to work on his conduct in and outside football circles.
Only he doesn’t believe that he needed to change anything about his ways.
“Most of the things that people have said about me are all lies. I know for a fact that most people were jealous when I signed for FC Platinum for a lot of money. All I do is try and let my football do the talking. I am happy with my football currently and I look forward to improve in the coming years,” Ngodzo said.
A former Zimbabwe youth international who comes from a footballing family with brothers Johannes, Petros and Zephaniah rising to prominence before him, Josta had big shoes to fit into and he believes he will never be as good as Johannes was.
“People like to compare but I think I will never compare to Johannes. He is easily the best to come from our family and most of what I do I copy from him. Things like ball technique, ball control, vision, maturity and many other thing, l learnt from him.”
