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BORN on April 3, 1993, Kelvin and Elvis Moyo are arguably the best defensive pair to emerge from the football loving Mzilikazi township of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe — at least in this generation.

Strong, brave and happy to play anywhere on the left side of the back line, the Moyo brothers complement each other in a special way.

The twin towers are the types of players you would not want to meet eye-ball to eye-ball on a football pitch.

Simply put, they are specially gifted.

The pair made their top-flight league debut at Zimbabwe champions FC Platinum in 2013. The defensive pair left an indelible mark because of their telepathic understanding which made them a rock-solid combination.

What makes the Moyo brothers’ story unique is not that they are identical twins but that unlike the other twins that came out of the Zimbabwean ranks, the Moyo boys have more successes on the domestic front.

During their six-year stay at FC Platinum, they helped the club win four trophies — two league titles in 2017 and 2018 — one Chibuku Super Cup in 2014, one Castle Challenge Cup in 2019.

In that period they also took part in the prestigious CAF Champions League and the Confederations Cup, where they cemented their names. The other Zimbabwean revered twins, William and Wilfred Mugeyi, who entered the fray in the early 90s, only won the league title in 1992 before they left Zimbabwe, but their exploits remain fondly glued to Zimbabwe’s football story.

However, since childhood the Moyo twins have never been separated even when they were in school.

At the moment, the twins are unattached although Kelvin was on the brink of sealing a move to Tanzanian side Simba SC.

Elvis, however, is doing individual training as he looks for a new club. If Kelvin’s move materialises, this will be the first time the twins play away from each other.

Interestingly, one of them, Kelvin did not always see himself becoming a professional footballer as he invested most of his time and energy in academics.

“I didn’t always see myself playing football as my life long career. I wanted to go ahead with school but it is a family calling, our father was a footballer, our brother too so we started playing when we were eight years old but Elvis was more dedicated to the game than me. Eventually we became professional footballers together,” he told PanAfrican Football.

Their father, Bishop, played for the now defunct Bulawayo side Eagles as a midfielder.

On the other hand, their big brother Thabani starred for Bulawayo giants Highlanders, although he later moved to Cyprus before returning to Zimbabwe where he joined CAPS United.

The twin brothers, though decided to go on their own path away from the City of Kings, Bulawayo, after packing their bags for the small mining town of Zvishavane in 2013 having passed through AmaZulu and Highlanders juniors as well as Bantu Rovers.

For a moment, their decision seemed like a step backward as they joined a team where it seemed impossible to break into the first team, considering the star-studded squad that had been assembled by Norman Mapeza.

But, little did they know that they were following a biblical star that was leading them to a place where they would become a revered duo.

It is at FC Platinum, that they grew as footballers, attracting the interest of South Africa’s Chippa United. — Panafricanfootball.com