45 Greatest Footballers To Ever Come Out Of Zimbabwe

Henry McKop 

Henry Bully McKop is also another great footballer who got to play for a number of teams like Zimbabwe Saints, Bonner SC, Bristol City, Shelbourne, Vorwärts Steyr, Mamelodi Sundowns, Spartak Pretoria, Wits University and AmaZulu. Bully also played for the National Soccer Team The Dream Team during his time.

Willard Khumalo

Willard is one of the players again from iBosso who made headlines during his tenure as a young footballer. Khumalo was part of the 1986 Highlanders squad that won everything on offer in the domestic football arena. They won the BAT Rosebowl, the Independence Cup, Heroes’ Cup, Chibuku Trophy, Rothmans Cup and Castle Cup.

Rahman Gumbo

Rah as he is affectionately known by his friends and fans played for many top-flight clubs in Zimbabwe during his time. He played for Highlander alongside Peter and his brother Adam Ndlovu. Gumbo in 1992 scored a goal during a historic victory against South Africa were Zimbabwe won 4-1.

Sunday Chidzambwa

Chidzambwa is known for captaining Dynamos to five league titles and also for coaching the glamour boys to an impressive seven league titles making him the most decorated Dynamos coach in club history. Chidzambwa is one the most decorated coach in Zimbabwean Football history.

Francis Shonhayi

Francis was part of the Reinhard Fabisch coached Dream Team playing alongside  Rahman Gumbo and Mercedes Sibanda. Francis played for Dembare and the national team during the prime of his football career.

 

Tauya Murehwa

The talented academic joined Dynamos when he was still a medical student at UZ. Tauya was so swift and flexible fans nicknamed him The Flying Doctor. Tauya however was a fine footballer who won the Soccer Star of the Year title in 1995.

Shacky Tauro

In 1982 Shacky scored 28 goals. During a match his team played against Kaizer Chiefs on 2 June 1977 Shacky scored 6 goals. Shack had a knee injury in 1988 and hanged his boots but it was before he was crowned Mr Strong Top Goal Scorer. Shacky was one of Zimbabwe’s prolific players. Born and raised in Harare Shacky had a booming career as a footballer and as a coach. Shacky was interested in soccer from a tender age and was nurtured at Zororo Youth Center before joining CAPS Rovers now Caps United.

 

Japhet Mparutsa

Japhet is of the people on this list who is now a retired footballer but an active philanthropist. Japhet who is now based in the UK played for Dembare before he moved to Black Rhinos then moved to play for South African teams. During the prime of his football career, Japhet was capped 63 times for playing for the national team.

Stanley Ndunduma

Stanley during the prime of his career won the Soccer Player Of The Year Twice, in 1981 and 1985. Unfortunately, his life came to an abrupt end in 1994 while he was coaching in Swaziland. Stanley played for CAPS before hanging his boots.

Joel Shambo

Joel is probably the most famous person who was part of the green machine. Nicknamed Jubilee, Mwalimu or headmaster anyone who saw him in action only talks about his chest control tactics. Sadly Joel died close to 2 decades ago. Here is a photo of him with then-president Canaan Banana.

Maronga Nyangela

Maronga is one of Zimbabwe’s top footballers of his time. Nicknamed Der Bomber Nyangela. During his heyday in one season, he scored 28 goals. Though he didn’t beat Moses Chunga’s 40 goals in one season record, Maronga won an award for his starling performance.

Ephraim Chawanda

It took a special talent for one to be The Dream Team’s captain for so long. Such was the story of Ephraim who was the then warriors’ captain from 1992 to 1995. Ephraim is obviously a legend who during the prime of his career played for some local teams but also went international playing for SC Bonner a Germany club and later Cologne in Germany as well.

Ronald Sibanda

Ronald Sibanda was part of the Warriors’ team that played in the 2004 AFCON finals held in Tunisia. The team was coached by a veteran football legend Sunday Chidzambwa and captained by the heroic Peter Ndlovu. 

Agent Sawu

Described by one Pindula sports lover as a “lethal striker” it’s clear that those who know Agent have fond memories of his ability to dribble and his top goal-scoring capabilities. Agent during his young sports person-days played for The Glamour Boys and the National Soccer Team. Sawu also played in China, Cyprus, South Africa and Switzerland.
Brenna Msiska

Warriors/The Dream Team goalkeeper extraordinaire Brenna is one Zimbo who a long career in football both as a player and as a coach just like most coaches. Brenna was and still is a Green machine team player.

Gift Mpariwa

One cannot talk about Dynamos in the 80s and not mention Gift Muduso Ghetto Mpariwa. Gift scored like no man’s business in heydays. His scoring even earned him a nickname Muduso which means money. Every match was a money game to Gift fans would say.

George Shaya

The Mastermind as fans would call him had a very colourful career with the Glamour Boys. George was crowned Soccer Star of the Year a record five times in his heydays. Up to date, his achievement is yet to be replicated.

Memory Mucherahowa

Another guy for the famous 1980s Dynamos squad. Memory played for Dembare and The Dream Team during his heydays. He captained the Glamour boys in 1993 and was crowned Soccer Player Of The Year in 1994.

Joe Mugabe

Joe was so good a CAPS United player he was voted club’s best player 4 times. Back in the day Joe was an extraordinary player, his fans nicknamed Kode.

William and Wilfred Mugeyi 

William together with his brother Wilfred are just one set of twins that graced the local football arena and left some fond memories. So talented and so identical were the twins that referees would confuse them and sometimes penalise the wrong twin for the other twin’s mistake.

 

Cain and Abel Muteji

Cain and his brother Abel unlike the biblical Cain and Abel worked together perfectly as part of the Airforce football team Chapungu and the National team where they were part of the famous under 23 squad that almost won a gold medal at the All Africa Games.

Alois Bunjira

When Alois joined The Green Machine in 1996, he scored a whopping 59 goals in his first year at CAPS United. Talent is the only word others use when describing this man.

Stewart Murisa

Stewart is probably the only Zimbo to have played for all 3 league giants, Dembare, Makepekepe and iBosso. Murisa’s mother was a netball legend and the fruit didn’t fall far from the tree.

Bruce Grobbelaar

One cannot talk about Zimbabwean football and not talk about Bruce. With 29 national caps under his belt, having  played for Liverpool and Highlanders. Bruce who once served in the Rhodesian army, was a multi-talented athlete who once won a Baseball scholarship to the US and was a prominent cricketer when he was a teenager.

 

Blessing Makunike

Yogo yogo as he was affectionately known by his legion of fans, was a talented footballer of his time. So talented was Blessing that he went for trials at UEFA’s Arsenal, unfortunately, he passed on before he got to know his fate with the English Gunners.

 

Benjani Mwaruwari

Benjani is one of the players that enjoyed a long career in football playing for one of UEFA’s great teams.  Benjani locally played for iBosso before he migrated to SA before moving to Europe where he played for league giants like Portsmouth and Manchester City.

 

Madinda Ndlovu

Adam Ndlovu

Adam during his heydays was equally talented like his brothers Peter and Madinda. Adam played for 6 international teams and Highlanders and The national team. He was part of the Warriors team that played in Tunisia in 2004 with his brother captaining the ship.

 

Peter Ndlovu

Peter ‘The Flying Elephant’ is most probably the best footballer tagged Zimbabwean. Peter “akasiya mbiri”  loosely translated to he went viral, wherever he went. He played for the Matebele giant’s Highlanders before he went to Europe where he appeared in 179 games and scored 41 times in those games. Peter has a staggering 100 National Team Caps

 

David “Yogi” Mandigora

Yogi, as he was referred to by his legion of fans, joined Dynamos when he was just 16. David was so good a player he was crowned soccer player of the year in the year Zimbabwe attained independence.

 

Norman Mapeza

Coach Mapeza has made a name for himself in these football streets, first as a player and now as a renowned coach. Mapeza played in Poland during his heydays. He is one of the very few Zimbabwean footballers that played mainstream soccer in Europe and played regularly for Galatasaray.

Vitalis Takawira

Nicknamed “The Digital ” Vitalis is one of the few Zimbabweans who got to play soccer in America. After a brief stint with Dembare, The Digital moved to America where he played for a number of teams before he retired and started coaching.

Stix Mutizwa

Stanford Mutizwa was on the soccer stars calendar nine times in 10 years between 1979 and 1989, but he never won the top player award and frustratingly for him, finished runner up five times. That should tell you something about his aptitude as a player.

Gift Muzadzi

Umbro is among the country’s most celebrated footballers. With 11 national team Caps, Gift at one point played in Poland and was part of the Young Warriors squad that played in the All Africa Games in 1995

Zenzo Moyo

Zenzo went viral in the 2000 PSL league when he scored 22 goals for the time he played for Highlanders. He transferred to Cyprus midseason and never got to complete the season but he was crowned top goal scorer for that season.

Thulani Ncube

Thulani during his heydays played for Bosso and like most players on this list went viral. He has a total of 17 National Team Caps.

Ebson Muguyo

The 1970s legendary defender was a trailblazer for all young Zimbabwean players who later on played for Amakhosi (Kaizer Chief). Ebson was just one of those good players, those who saw him in action gush about his skill in playing the much-loved sport.

Kennedy Chihuri

Kennedy was the first black to play in the Czech Republic league. He joined 3 teams in the Czech Republic and played around 200 matches for those teams.

Rabson Muchichwa

Popularily known as Sarafina, was a great footballer who won several awards from him teams during his prime time as a golden footballer.

Murape Murape

The man named after his own surname is the longest-serving dynamos player who joined Dembare when he was 14 in 1994 till he retired in 2015. Murape captained the glamour boys at some point and he is known for his prolific skills and being a die-hard Dembare man.

 

Energy Murambadoro

Energy is most probably the most talented goalkeeper this country ever saw. Murambadoro was crowned Soccer star of the year two consecutive times under the guidance of Charles Mhlauri

Esrom Nyandoro

Esrom was spotted while playing in the Peter Ndlovu under 19 invitational tournament. He made a name for himself playing for Mamelodi Sundowns. Esrom got his nation team cap when he was 21 and in 2004 his goal against Cameroon at the tournament was voted the goal of the tournament.

Tinashe Nengomasha

Oliver Mtukudzi’s son in law was a great player during his heydays. So good was Tinashe as a player, at one point he was voted the best premiership player in South Africa and continued to do Zimbabwe proud across the width and breadth of South Africa.