DYNAMOS’ V11

28 Oct, 2018 - 00:10 0 Views
DYNAMOS’ V11

The Sunday Mail

THERE was something scientific about the way Valentine “V11” Kadonzvo scored Dynamos’ opener against Herentals at Rufaro last Thursday.

The way he calculated the trajectory of Peace Makaha’s throw-in, the precision with which he weaved past two bemused Herentals defenders before bursting into the box at a high velocity, and the shot he let loose towards the bottom corner all appeared measured.

It even looked as if the deflection the shot took had been factored into the equation.

That goal gave Dynamos an early lead on their way to a crucial 2-0 league win over Herentals in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.

Such accuracy is unsurprising coming from Kadonzvo. After all, the 24-year-old studied MPC — short for the renowned Advanced Level combination of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry – a few years ago.

A fine young man, who sadly lost both his parents before he was even in Grade Two and was raised by his grandmother in Norton, Kadonzvo’s pace, dribbling skills and eye for goal have charmed DeMbare fans over the past three weeks as Zimbabwe’s most celebrated soccer team fights off relegation. Three goals in three matches, including a memorable volley against Caps United in the Harare Derby, is the stuff that is making DeMbare fans go gaga about V11.

As Dynamos shelve their relegation fight for a while to concentrate on a Chibuku Super Cup semi-final clash against Triangle at Rufaro this afternoon, Kadonzvo is the man to watch.

40km away in Norton, his granny – Gogo Jane Matsuku — is still coming to grips with her grandson’s newfound stardom.

“Valentine always liked soccer from his early years. I remember him pestering former Zimbabwe national team player Shepherd Muradzikwa for a football until he was given one. Both his parents died when he was very young and I raised him on my own. I am relieved a lot now that he can look after himself through soccer. It’s all God’s work,” said 69-year-old Gogo Matsuku.

Gogo Matsuku believes her Sunday morning prayers before Kadonzvo takes to the field are opening doors for her grandson.

“We are a Christian family and Valentine also loves to pray. So we do morning prayers before he goes for a match. With God, we have managed to pull through. I can’t believe Valentine is now the father of this house. I can only see the power of God if I look back at how I raised him.” Kadonzvo celebrates every goal by kneeling as if in prayer.

“My granny means everything to me, she is both my father and mother. She is my number one fan and was very jovial when I arrived home after that Herentals win,” said the DeMbare forward, who ironically started his journey at fierce cross-town rivals Caps United.

“I played for Caps Juniors but when they sent me to Pamushana for high school the club didn’t show much interest in me.

“Instead it was Twalumba FC that showed me love and sent me to Cornway for A Level. In 2016 I came across coach Lloyd Mutasa when I was on trials at Ngezi. He told me that I could play for Dynamos without trials and I followed him to Harare,” revealed Kadonzvo.

DeMbare’s V11 turns 25 tomorrow and his wish is to celebrate both his birthday and Dynamos’ progress into the Chibuku Super Cup final. “To me it’s not about individual glory, it’s about Dynamos as a team. We play Triangle on Sunday and I would like to believe that the kind of form that we are in will play a big role in our quest to reach the final,” he said.

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