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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor

ANFIELD, Old Trafford and Parc des Princes — three iconic football temples with a combined 5 575 years of some of the game’s greatest memories.

From a King called Kenny, a George called Best to another George called Weah, the one who transformed himself into the President of his country.

The Kop at Anfield, the Stretford End at the Theatre of Dreams and the Kop of Bolougne at the Park of Princes.

Iconic stands which, in times gone by, were always overflowing with passion, and became the bastions of loyalty to a people’s romance with these three football clubs.

Liverpool, Manchester United and Paris Saint Germain!

It’s in these three clubs’ homes where some of the game’s greatest names have been made, and some of its greatest stories written.

Anfield

Denis Law’s cheeky back-heeled goal at Old Trafford on April 27, 1974, sent the Red Devils tumbling from England’s top-flight league and sent him into Manchester City’s folklore.

The irony is that Law was a United hero, who then moved to City, in the dying stages of his career.

When Tino Kadewere scored the winning goal for Olympique Lyon, against PSG at the Parc des Princes on Sunday, it provided world football with another of its beautiful stories.

A French Ligue 1 debutante somehow transforming himself into the soul of the narrative at the place where Neymar now calls home.

The one who, just six years ago, was rejected by his country’s biggest football club, after being told he was not good enough for them.

Now, here he was, just half-a-dozen years later, eclipsing the Brazilian superstar and a host of the game’s biggest stars.

Repaying the faith his club showed in rallying behind him, as one of their own, when he lost his brother Prince, even though he had not kicked a ball for them.

Showing once again that in the fertile lands of Zimbabwe’s football nurseries, lie breeding grounds that continue to give world football some of its finest crop.

And, leaving many to wonder how many other Kadeweres lie out there, rough diamonds crying out to be picked, despite the administrative chaos, which continues to hold back this game’s progress?

Spanish side Real Betis have already noted that potential, with a huge investment into their academy here, which was officially launched this year.

That those who lead the domestic game chose to stay away from the launch of this grand project, for one reason or another, hasn’t dampened the passion of the Spaniards.

Kadewere is just the latest to run a leg in this relay, which was started by Peter Ndlovu, when he became the first African footballer to feature in the English Premiership in August 1992.

And, on March 14, 1995, it all came together for the man also known as the Flying Elephant.

Somehow, whether by design, or default, he chose Anfield to produce a devastating show which saw him grab a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory for Coventry City over Liverpool.

The first came in the 20th minute, the second from the penalty spot 15 minutes later before he completed his hat-trick four minutes from time with a beauty.

Until then, no visiting footballer had scored a hat-trick on Anfield’s hallowed turf since 1962, ironically the year the football league started in this country.

Another 11 years would pass before Ndlovu was born in Bulawayo, the start of an adventure that would eventually see him buy the silence of the Kop.

Only nine other players have managed to score a hat-trick against Liverpool in the era of the modern Premiership and, only one other star, did it at Anfield.

Andrei Arshavin scores all four goals as Arsenal and Liverpool battled to a 4-4 draw in 2009.

Dimitar Berbatov scored all three goals for Manchester United in a 3-2 win at Old Trafford in 2010 while Thierry Henry scored a hat-trick in Arsenal’s 4-2 win in 2004.

Kevin Lisbie struck a hat-trick in Charlton’s 3-2 win in 2002, Mark Viduka in Leeds’ 4-3 victory in 2000 and Fabrizio Ravanelli in Middlesbrough’s 3-3 draw in 1996.

Matthew Le Tissier grabbed a hat-trick In Southampton’s 4-2 victory in 1994 while Andy Cole scored all three goals in Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Liverpool at St James Park in ‘93.

Ollie Watkins then smashed his hat-trick in that incredible seven-goal demolition of the Reds at Villa Park this season.

Amid all this, sometimes it’s easy to forget that Benjani Mwaruwari also scored at Old Trafford, in his debut appearance in the Manchester Derby in 2008.

“It made me famous, the fans accepted me and embraced me,” Benjani told our sister newspaper, The Sunday Mail, this year.

“It’s the kind of goal that you don’t forget.

“The single goal, in the Manchester Derby, changed everything for me.

“I became an instant hero, remember this was my debut for City and scoring in such a big game was no mean feat.

“I only realised I had done something big when journalists started talking about that victory being the first for City at Old Trafford since 1974.”

Outside Old Trafford stands a statue of the United Trinity — Law, Best and Bobby Charlton, hand-in-hand, crystallised for immortality.

After his heroics this week, Kadewere has added his name to complete the three Musketeers.

A Flying Elephant, an Undertaker and a Monya for Hire.

It’s a beautiful football story, a quarter-of-a-century in the making, by the boys from Zimbabwe.

It couldn’t have come at a better time, in the year domestic football has been celebrating the Silver Jubilee of Ndlovu’s hat-trick heroics at Anfield. It’s a beautiful football story, a quarter-of-century in the making, by the boys from Zimbabwe. A Flying Elephant, an Undertaker and a Monya for Hire, three Warriors, three Musketeers, three different decades.

Three different iconic football temples.

For all its domestic challenges, Zimbabwean football always finds a way of casting itself in a golden light. Tino bears the torch now and the challenge is for him to keep shining.

It’s virtually impossible to put a value to Kadewere’s golden goal on Sunday but it’s the kind of stuff that transform the lives of professional athletes.

l Our Senior Sports Editor is on his annual leave but couldn’t resist penning an article for a beautiful Zimbabwean sports story