The inclusion of four Highlanders players in the Zimbabwe men’s senior soccer team for the upcoming Chan qualifier against Mauritius has inspired young and talented Bosso midfielder Denzel Khumalo, who now sees breaking into the national team as an achievable reality.
Ariel Sibanda, Nqobizitha Masuku, Prince Dube and Peter Muduhwa all made it into the 18-men warriors squad travelling to Mauritius for a Sunday match.
The Warriors left for Mauritius early today via South Africa, and they are expected on the Indian Ocean island nation late afternoon.
Khumalo, who is currently working extra hard to challenge for the Highlanders starting berth is full of admiration for his teammates who made it into the warriors squad.
“This is a very inspiring development. Three of them are senior players, and Prince is a young player like most of us in the team. We train with them everyday, and the news that they have been called for national duty gives us a lot of hope and inspiration. We are learning a lot from these senior players. It is everyone’s dream to represent his country. For someone to be considered for national team selection the coaches would have seen something. Congratulations to my teammates, they deserve this moment,” said Khumalo.
The 21-year-old Khumalo who has represented his country at various junior tournaments has no doubt he will one day represent the nation at senior level, but insists he needs to remain focused and working hard while he waits for his time to come.
“I also dream of playing at higher level, and represent the national team, but for now I choose to remain focused, work hard and improve a lot. I am still young, and I have realised that I can still improve a lot, that’s why I want to remain focused and hard working,” he added.
In 2014, Khumalo was part of Team Zimbabwe for the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games, and also represented the national Under 20 side in various tournaments between that period and 2017.
He last served the national team in December 2017, where he was part of the squad that took part in the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Under 20 Youth Championship that was hosted by Zambia.
Last season he was dropped to the club’s developmental side Bosso 90 by then technical manager Madinda Ndlovu, and spent the first half of the season playing in the ZIFA Southern Region Division One league, before he was recalled to the first team during the mid-season transfer window.
He had an immediate impact such that his exploits saw him being named the Body Works Gym Bosso Player of the Month.