BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
AFTER establishing himself as a vital cog at the heart of the Zimbabwe defence during their successful 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) bid, Wales-based defender Alec Mudimu has sounded a warning to rival stars not to expect an easy ride when they meet the Warriors at the continental football finals in Egypt.
Initially, Mudimu’s dream was just to help his country make a historic fourth Afcon appearance, which will be his first dance on the African safari.
Now that the dream has come true, the 24-year-old, who plays for Welsh club Cefn Druids as a midfielder, is no longer content with just going to the premier continental football extravaganza, which roars to life later this month.
He wants more than just to make up the numbers, but to be an African champion — a target he believes is achievable after being impressed by the potential that he has seen in this “special” band of Warriors.
Mudimu even had the audacity to issue a warning to the galaxy of football stars that the country will face in Egypt.
“I am not going to make it easy for them, I will do what I can to make sure the stars we are going to face will not score against us and also that the so-called big teams do not win,” the versatile player told The Sports Hub.
“I have a job to do for my country. I have to do it to the best of my abilities regardless who I am playing, it could be Ronaldo or Messi, my job is to perform — that is what I want to do,” Mudimu added.
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Afcon is the biggest stage that Mudimu is playing in his fledgling career so far and his performance at the event could pluck him from the obscure Welsh league and thrust him into one of Europe’s top leagues.
Already rumour is rife that Mudimu is on the radar of teams from some of Europe’s recognised leagues, but the player wants to focus on doing the impossible at Afcon: That is to be an African champion by July 22.
“We need to make the impossible possible. As for me, I haven’t worked this hard just to make the numbers at Afcon and enjoy being there.
“We want to win the Cup. If we make it through the group stages, then it will be easy to make the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final. That is the expectation that I have on this team. I see how good we can be and I think we can do more. I do really think we will go far as a team,” Mudimu said.
In the two years that he has been with the Warriors, Mudimu feels that he has seen enough to even dream of playing at the Fifa World Cup.
“It’s possible to make it to the World Cup with this team. International football is very unpredictable nowadays and you can’t take anybody lightly. We are very good at doing this, we don’t take anybody lightly and we work hard ahead of every encounter.
“With this special group and the Under-23s that are coming up, who I think have immense talent, I think we have the depth to make it to the World Cup in the near future,” Mudimu said.
Zimbabwe will kick-off their Afcon competition with a date against the hosts Egypt in a tie that will evoke memories of the country’s maiden dance at the continental championships in Tunisia 15 years ago.
Egypt won the tie 2-1 as the Warriors were made to rue missing chances through Agent Sawu and Wilfred Mugeyi late in the match. Also in Group A, Zimbabwe will play DRC and Uganda.
Mudimu also reflected on the Afcon qualifying journey and what it all means to him and his family.
“It’s been an amazing experience, a dream come true. If I tell you some of the stories and tribulations we went through with my family as a young boy, we can only thank God for this opportunity to represent my country,” Mudimu said, not wanting to go deeper on the trials they faced.
“The most difficult moment for me during the Afcon qualifiers was when we went to Liberia and we were beaten. For me, that was the toughest moment and I wanted to see how we would react. The reaction from all of us was amazing. We collected our points collectively against Congo and secured our qualification with a big win at home,” he said.
One thing that Mudimu has gained since he started representing Zimbabwe is a new family and he always looks forward to spending time with them.
“It’s a special group of men we have here. There is never a dull moment in training and everyone is smiling and laughing. Every time I am coming here, I look forward to seeing my brothers because they are no longer just teammates,” he said.
Interestingly, very few of his teammates communicate with him in English, but in Shona.
Has he finally learnt the language?
“My wife Tanya is from Zimbabwe, she speaks Shona, most of my friends in the UK are from Zimbabwe, they speak Shona as well and through the years I understand it better. Ndinotaura Shona mbichana mbichana (I speak a little bit of Shona now), give me a bit of time and I will be fluent,” he chuckled.
