Hardlife Zvirekwi crowned Soccer Star of the year

When 2016 started, it began on a bad note for Hardlife Zvirekwi with the Warriors being knocked out at the group stage of the African Nations Championship staged in Rwanda from January and February.

Zvirekwi was part of Callisto Pasuwa’s team which finished at the bottom of Group D with one draw and two losses in the three matches they played against Zambia, Mali and Uganda. Zimbabwe suffered 1-0 losses to Zambia as well as Mali before they drew 1-1 with Uganda.

With such an awful start to the year, Zvirekwi never envisaged that come the end, he would have won the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title with his club Caps United and in addition to win the Soccer Star of the Year accolade.

The Caps United right back beat his Makepekepe teammate Leonard Tsipa and FC Platinum goalkeeper Petros Mhari to be crowned the best footballer on display on the domestic scene. In an interview shortly after getting his accolade, Zvirekwi was delighted. He attributed winning the award to hard work and determination.

“The feeling is amazing, I am so happy I am so excited, I want to thank God for making this possible, if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be here today.

“It all goes to hard work, discipline, dedication, determination, I had to be determined through thick and thin I had to soldier on, I think this is such an honour for me to be crowned among the very best players in the country.

I never thought considering how this year started, when we went to CHAN bowing out in the group stages it was so disheartening I was imagining how this year is going to be when it had started so bad that we were knocked out in the group stage but now it has ended so good I am so good,’’ said Zvirekwi.

On what he was going to do with the $6 000 he got, Zvirekwi said he is still to decide with his wife on how best to invest that money. When Zvirekwi was named among the Soccer Stars in 2013, his wife Sarudzai was heavily pregnant with their first child, David who turns three early next year. Sarudzai was this time around able to take to the stage to share in the glory with her husband.

“We have to sit down with my wife, we will look into investing the money even for our kid, our baby David, he is turning three very soon. 

It’s magnificent, I am so joyful right now I don’t even know how to express the way I am feeling, being part of the Soccer Stars in 2013 and now I was looking for something better, improving from being part of the 11 finalists, I want to thank God for making it possible,’’ Zvirekwi said.