They
say football is the beautiful game, but Bill Shankly was more accurate when he
said, “people think football is a matter of life and death; I can assure you it
is much more serious than that”. Nowhere is this truer than in Africa. With
difficulties on the political and economic front the people look for heroes
elsewhere; they look for hope, strength, loyalty, excellence and integrity, and
more often than not they find it in stadiums. The modern day gladiators take to
the field with bursts of speed, dogged resolve and passion that give people
hope and comfort. Zimbabwe is no exception. The people of this nation love
soccer but more than that they love their soccer players.
From
the dusty streets of Makokoba emerged 3 such heroes. I don’t know what exactly
they did in the Ndlovu’s backyard but a law should be passed that every household
should follow the same regime because for one home to produce three world-class
footballers in the same generation is phenomenal.
Adam
Ndlovu was born on the 26th of June 1970 and followed his elder
brother Madinda Sikhathazile Ndlovu into professional football playing for
Highlanders. A bustling forward with amazing heading abilities and a shrewd
sense of positioning, Adam became part of the trio of brothers that inspired
Highlanders to dominate local football in the early 90’s, donning the number 13
jersey as if to taunt the footballing gods. Adam was part of the “Dream Team”
that captured the hearts of a nation. I have tried to quantify this man’s
contribution to this city and nation and I am at a loss for the exact words.
From the fairytale story of his ‘rags to riches’ ascendance in his station in
life that inspired many, to his gritty and determined approach when chips were
down that made you proud to be Zimbabwean. Adam Ndlovu is the first reason I
proudly sang my national anthem.
Everyone
has an Adam story; from his trademark waggle when he scored to his
well-rehearsed impersonation of the firing squad - one of his more dramatic
goal celebrations. One looked forward to him scoring because the celebration
was always something special, a true entertainer. Between 1992 and 2004 Adam
and his brothers became part of every Zimbabwean home. Bulawegians beamed with
pride as they continued to power Zimbabwean soccer. The nation’s second top
goal scorer of all time, Adam is summed up by his goal against Cameroon in
1994. Zimbabwe was on the verge of qualifying for USA 94 and all they needed
was a draw in Yaoundé. The Cameroonians scored 2 early goals and added a third
early in the second half. The team was in disarray and a nation’s heart was
breaking. Reinhard Fabisch had been sent off for his infamous outburst at the
officials which included him tearing money and throwing it at the officials for
their ‘fair’ approach to the game. With about 15 minutes to go, a nation watched
as the Dream Team’s dream turned into a nightmare.
Adam
received a throw in just inside the Cameroonians’ half, dribbled his way past
the entire defence and slotted home a gem. The way he ran to pick up the ball
from the net will be forever etched in my memory – his intensity and drive
inspired his teammates and though Zimbabwe lost, the Warriors in that last 15
minutes gave it all. His courage and strength shone through in that moment, turning
one of Zimbabwe’s darkest moments in football into a reference point for all -
a lesson on not giving up, resilience and committing fully in the moment one is
required to.
Shakespeare
says “the evil that men do lives after them but the good is interred with their
bones”. Adam Ndlovu, our hearts break at your sudden passing away. How do we
thank you for the memories? How do we express our gratitude for the hope and
comfort you gave us? More importantly, how do we move on scared that one day it’s
possible we might forget? A true hero, an icon. For his outstanding
contribution to the city, it is our pleasure and honour to posthumously award
the late Adam Ndlovu our Man of the City 2012 Award. May his soul rest in
peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment