On Wednesday, after Kaizer Chiefs’ own media day ahead of the weekend’s Soweto Derby cup final, Musona was the most interviewed player, and he jumped at the chance to respond, almost contemptuously: “I’m not scared of them (Pirates),” he said.
Saturday’s Telkom Knockout final between old rivals Pirates and Chiefs (Soccer City, 8.15pm) will largely centre around one name, Musona, unsurprisingly so after he single-handedly destroyed Bucs in a league match three weeks ago.
But as Pirates plot ways to subdue their nemesis, Vladimir Vermezovic, the Chiefs coach, urged them not even to bother. “I don’t think they can stop him – they can try, but I doubt if they will succeed,” Vermezovic said.
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| Telkom Knockout Trophy |
But, in spite of taking on much of the responsibility on his small shoulders, Musona still has the maturity to credit players around him for his success this season.
“It’s not true that I’m doing it all by myself. My teammates are good and if Pirates put players on me to track me, they will be making a big mistake because other people can score. There are 10 other players on the field who need attention, not just me. I have played many times against Pirates and I’m not going to prepare anything special for this weekend. I’m not scared of anyone,” he said.
Musona seemed to have derived his confidence from listening to his coach in a prior address to the media, where Vermezovic implored Pirates to put their focus on his prized asset at their own peril. “I expect them to give Musona some special attention, but we have other players who’ve been in good form – Abia (Nale), Yeye (Reneilwe Letsholonyane), (Siphiwe) Tshabalala – anyone can score. It’s Pirates’ problem to see how they stop Musona, not mine,” the Serbian said.
Pirates failed on several occasions to stop Musona in that November 13 clash, but they can be buoyed by their performance in the MTN8 semi-final second leg on September 26, when they restricted him and his teammates to firing blanks.
There’s little doubt, however, that he’ll again be the main focus on Saturday, restating the transformation of the soft-spoken footballer from obscurity to stardom.
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| Knowledge Musona |
Born in Norton, Mashonaland West, on June 21, 1990, Musona joined Chiefs at the beginning of last season after being spotted playing in the youth structures of Aces Academy in Harare.
“I didn’t imagine I would be this far in such a short space, after joining the academy at the age of 16,” he said. “But I know I still have a long to go.”
Hailing from a country associated with starvation, Musona describes his background as not too deprived. “We were neither poor nor rich at home. We were just an average family,” added the man who has three sisters and two brothers.
Sadly for him, his father died in 2007 before he could see him become the most talked about footballer in South African domestic football today. “I’m sure he would have been proud, but everybody in my family is. After the Pirates match a few weeks ago they phoned me and were happy for me.”
Source -The Star
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