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Sports Reporter

THE reigning Soccer Star of the Year Walter Musona is ready to lead his team FC Platinum in defence of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title.

The platinum miners are set to begin their campaign against newly promoted Simba Bhora at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday.

He was part of the team that beat Bulawayo Chiefs in the season-opening Castle Challenge Cup at Mandava last weekend. Musona had a dream Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season.

Pictures by Kudakwashe Hunda

He was central to FC Platinum’s successful quest to defend the league title for the fourth season running.

It’s probably his best term since he burst into the professional football cycles more than eight years ago.

Yet he was rejected as a below average player in the South African football system.

He even struggled to assert himself at FC Platinum in the initial stages of his reunion with the Zvishavane-based platinum miners.

But once he got into groove, he never looked back and he has been one of the most consistent players in the tier.

He credits coach Norman Mapeza for helping find himself again.

The forward finished the season on 14 goals, including the opener he scored in the miners’ victory against Cranborne Bullets in their last match of the season at Mandava.

FC Platinum were formally crowned the Castle Lager Premiership champions after that game, three weeks after they secured the title for the fourth consecutive time.

The accolade is especially key to Musona who was winning it for the first time in his career. It remains to be seen if he would join an exclusive club of players that have won the accolade twice in a row.

The only other players who achieved the feat include the great George Shaya, the legendary Peter Ndlovu and Rodwell Chinyengetere who was the last player to do so while playing for FC Platinum in 2017 and 2018.