Zimpapers Logo

Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWE’S hopes of landing Liverpool teenage star Isaac Mabaya continued to diminish as the 17-year-old is getting closer to his dream of playing for the England senior football team. 

The pursuit for another promising prospect, Tristan Nydam, who was also capped by England at youth level, is also as good as over after the 22-year-old announced his retirement from football following a frustrating ankle injury he suffered three years ago. 

Mabaya and Nydam are just but two of the several young talents born or bred in the Diaspora that have been on Zimbabwe’s radar with the help of incorporating them into the national teams. The 17-year-old Mabaya received his first England Under-18 call up at the weekend following his fast rise in the Reds’ development structures. 

He is among the four Liverpool youngsters that have been drafted into the England Under-18s group to play Sweden this Friday and Denmark next Monday in Spain. 

The other Liverpool youth players in the England Under-18 team are striker Oakley Cannonier and centre-backs Lee Jonas and Terence Miles. 

The squad will meet up in Hertfordshire today before travelling to their base in southern Spain where Mabaya will be looking to get his first England Under-18 cap. 

Previously he has featured for the Young Lions in the Under-15 and Under-16 age-group categories and has been rising steadily up the ladder. He has risen through the age-group teams at club level and is now closer to first team football after impressing in the youth teams. Mabaya began attending the Reds Academy when he was six years old, and he made his debut for the Reds’ Under-18s side shortly before his 16th birthday during the 2020-21 season and it looks the sky will only be the limit for the youngster who was born to Zimbabwean parents in Preston, England. 

Having signed his first professional contract with Liverpool last September, Mabaya was included in Jurgen Klopp’s match day squad for the FA Cup third round encounter against Shrewsbury Town in January this year. 

Mabaya holds British nationality and, although he has represented England in youth football, he is still eligible to switch allegiance to Zimbabwe in the future. 

But Mabaya has always been a huge doubt for Zimbabwe. His father, David, painted a bad picture in response to The Herald’s request for an interview with the young player.

“He is not interested any more (in the interview) . . . as he does not have dual citizenship.  

“We realised it’s too complicated to play for Zimbabwe; passports, etc it’s a bit of a hustle.”

Mabaya, however, has been in constant touch with his Zimbabwean base. He has been involved in charity work and has donated sets of football uniforms to schools in the Hurungwe Central constituency. 

Some of the schools that benefited included Tambawadya Primary School, Kushinga Primary School, Tafara Primary School and Chipapa Primary School. But the biggest blow for Zimbabwe’s prospects were confirmed following the premature retirement from professional football by Nydam, who could not play beyond 22 years. The former Ipswich Town midfielder announced the sad development at the weekend. The Town academy product suffered a nasty ankle injury at Notts County during the 2019/20 pre-season and, though he was able to return to action for the club, it has eventually ended his career early. Nydam was released by the club last year and has now announced his retirement from the game, having made 22 appearances for the Blues. Born in Zimbabwe but capped by England at Under-18 and Under-19 levels, Nydam had hoped for a fulfilling football career. He poured out his feelings in an emotional post on social media. 

“Like many young kids, my dream was always to play professional football. I didn’t know how or when, but I knew I would. I was fortunate enough to play for Ipswich since I was nine and for England. 

“Sometimes life can throw challenges at you and the last two and half years have been extremely challenging for me, after my ankle injury. As a result, I have had to make a really tough decision and that is to retire from professional football. 

“Firstly, I would like to thank Ipswich Town for everything the club did for me for the past 13 years for always supporting me, the medical staff, coaching staff and my teammates. I am thoroughly grateful. 

“I would also like to thank my family and friends for always sticking by me. Lastly, I would like to thank the fans for the support they have shown me ever since I broke into the team. 

“I am forever grateful for my journey and experiences and although my time as a professional footballer was limited, I look forward to all the different opportunities life has to offer me,” wrote Nydam. Nydam broke into the Town first-team during Mick McCarthy’s final season with the club, making 20 appearances in 2017/18 before heading to St Johnstone for what turned out to be a difficult loan spell during the first half of the following campaign.

He returned to Ipswich and looked set to play a role in Paul Lambert’s side, before suffering a bad ankle injury that kept him out for two years. Nydam finally returned to the Ipswich side in April 2021, playing half-an-hour from the bench in the 0-0 draw with MK Dons in his last match.