The Sunday Mail
WALES-based Warriors centre-back Alec Mudimu loves the ghetto, listening to Alick Macheso’s music, and eating sadza and okra.
Although he struggles with his Shona, the 23-year-old tries as much as possible to maintain his Zimbabwean roots.
The Cefn Druids utility player was back at his birthplace in Highfield, Harare, last week, the first time he has done so in 17 years, having left Zimbabwe for the United Kingdom in 2001.
A day after the footballer returned from another successful Cosafa Cup mission, Mudimu headed straight to Highfield to spend time with his 93-year-old granny, Gogo Elizabeth Vambe, before flying out to Wales last Thursday.
“Just seeing the kids walking back from school, some playing soccer on the street and the jostling at the market places excited me a lot,” Mudimu told The Sunday Mail Sport at his grandmother’s house.
Mudimu was solid at the back as Zimbabwe won the Cosafa Cup in South Africa and the utility player describes the experience as an eye-opener.
“It showed me a whole new world, the journey by bus was just something else. It’s the longest journey I have ever undertaken and at first I feared the worst but the bus from Led Travel and Tours was top class,” he said.
“It turned out to be interesting experience because that gave me time to understand my teammates.
“You see, being the new guy is not easy but that road journey was amazing. There was a lot of singing in the bus, a lot of jokes and it helped the players bond.”
Mudimu is one of several Zimbabwean players scattered across the globe that Zifa wants to rope into the national team set-up ahead of the resumption of the 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifying journey in September.
And the 1,9-metr-tall player believes a fusion of local talent and foreign-based players will turn the Warriors into a lethal outfit.
Mudimu, who featured 28 times for Cefn Druids and scored eight goals as the Wrexham-based team clinched a place in the 2018-2019 Europa League competition, is relishing the prospect of earning more national team caps.
“It’s not just about playing for the country but doing well also. The talent in Zimbabwe is there and the thought of playing more games for the Warriors, alongside such talented players really excites me.
“I have seen great talent here, Khama (Billiat) is amazing. He showed how great he can be. He is mesmerising both on and off the ball,” he said.
But before returning to the international scene Mudimu has some Europa League business to attend to.
Cefn Druids will play Lithuanian side Trakai in the preliminary round on June 28 and the Zimbabwean defender is raring to go.
“It will be great to play in the Europa Cup but no feeling beats the one I got when I represented my country at the Cosafa finals,” remarked Mudimu, who remains inspired by a one-on-one chat with Manchester United legend Paul Scholes when he was still 17.
“The hospitality we got at Prophet Walter Magaya’s Yadah complex was world class and the love I got from fellow Zimbabwean players was pretty amazing.
“The Warriors dressing room gave me a shock. Back in Wales we usually have a speaker playing soft music as we focus on the game but here in Zimbabwe, there’s a lot of singing which is quiet refreshing.”
The large number of people at the tobacco auction floors in Southerton and Harare’s never-ending traffic jam were some of the things that twanged Mudimu’s mind as he was driven around by close friend, Mistry “Diaspora” Chipere, on Thursday afternoon.
“I don’t think I can drive in Harare,” he remarked.
