Sianchali makes Big Three elite list

Sport
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE When striker Newman Sianchali joined Dynamos in February, he joined the elite class of footballers, who have played for the three traditional giants of Zimbabwean football. The striker, who began his career at Hwange, achieved this feat at a ripe age of 34. Yet he still dreams of bigger things in his […]

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

When striker Newman Sianchali joined Dynamos in February, he joined the elite class of footballers, who have played for the three traditional giants of Zimbabwean football.

The striker, who began his career at Hwange, achieved this feat at a ripe age of 34.

Yet he still dreams of bigger things in his career.

Ironically, Sianchali is set to kick-start life at Dynamos with a date against his former side and new club’s arch-rivals Highlanders in the Uhuru Cup today.

Sianchali is excited to join the growing list of footballers that have featured for Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United that also includes  1996 Soccer Star of the Year Stewart Murisa, midfielder Stephen Alimenda, controversial forward Rodreck Mutuma, Valentine Ndaba and goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya.

“It’s so nice that I am one of those lucky guys, who have played for big three teams in Zimbabwe and I am very happy. I am happy with the welcome, which I got from everyone here at the club, so I am excited to be part of this squad,” Sianchali said in an exclusive interview with The Sports Hub.

“I never dreamt that I would play for these three teams, but there are things that happen during the course of a journey. In football you can never know where you are the next day and you only work with the offers you get, but it’s every player’s dream to play for these teams.

“When you are young you just want to play for at least one of the best teams in the country and you cannot imagine playing for all three of them because of the rivalries that exist among them. This is why this is a special achievement for me,” the veteran marksman said.

At his age Sianchali has not won much in terms of trophies and individual accolades.

And he believes Dynamos gives him the opportunity to finally win trophies and also achieve one of his biggest dreams, that of playing football outside the country.

“I just have to work hard to be able to make the team at Dynamos and I obviously want to win trophies for the club. That is my main target and I also want to be the top goalscorer in the league or whatever competition we are going to play.

“I also want to be on the Soccer Stars calendar for the first time, so I can’t wait for the games to begin so I can start my journey with the biggest club in the country. It’s also exciting that if I am chosen I might play my first match against my former side Highlanders,” he said.

“In terms of my targets when I started playing football I think I am almost there. The biggest dream for me is to go play outside the country so I believe that playing at Dynamos will help me achieve that dream,” Sianchali said.

Sianchali joined DeMbare after spending two years at CAPS United while he spent the 2018 season at Highlanders where he finished as the club’s joint top goalscorer with Gabriel Nyoni on six goals. The striker moved to CAPS United in 2019 and was the hero of the last Harare Derby for CAPS United when he headed home the only goal that gave the club a narrow win over Dynamos.

The former Hwange FC star decided to pursue a football career after realising that he was not gifted academically.

“I was a football person from the outset. I realised that I was not good in school early on in my life, but I had a football talent so I had to work hard on my talent,” he said.

“I am the first born in a family of five, with two girls and three boys. My two younger brothers I actually encouraged them to focus on school rather than football because it’s tough being a footballer in Zimbabwe.”