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Robson Sharuko-Senior Sports Editor

EXACTLY 10 years after arriving in Europe, for his dream adventure, Knowledge Musona has left the continent, for a romantic fling with the Knights of the North, in Saudi Arabia’s top-flight league.

The 31-year-old Warriors skipper sealed a deal with Al-Tai FC, a club based in the north-western part of the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, who are returning to the country’s Pro League, for the first, in 13 years. 

Their last flirtation, with the Saudi Pro League, was in 2008. 

However, they won promotion, after finishing third, in the second-tier Division One league, last season. 

Their move to capture Musona, who still had a year left on his contract with Belgian giants Anderlecht, demonstrates their ambition, not only to secure their top-flight status, but also to try and compete, with the big boys, of the league. 

In a kingdom, known for its riches, Al-Tai FC flexed their financial muscle, and came up with an attractive package, to lure Musona to the Gulf. 

His agent, Mike Makaab, of Prosport International, had ruled out the possibility of the Smiling Assassin returning to South Africa, where he was being wooed by Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns. 

Makaab said none of the Supa Diski Big Three had the capacity to meet Musona’s wage demands, right now. 

This puts into perspective, the financial injection, which Al-Tai were prepared to pour into the deal, to bring him into their club. 

Although the wealthy Saudi clubs have downsized some of their investments, into their football activities, after being hit by Covid-19, they still have the muscle, to get most of their targets. 

Only last year, Saudi Arabian club, Al Nassr, were said to have been interested in signing former Arsenal playmaker, Mesut Ozil, after dangling a salary of around £15 million, per annum. 

However, the German international ended up joining Turkey Super League giants Fenerbahce in what was, in a way, a homecoming show, given his Turkish roots.

However, Nigerian international forward, Odion Ighalo, completed his move to another Saudi side, Al-Shabab, whose highest paid player was Argentine midfielder, Eva Banega, at £176 000 per week.

In the summer of 2018, Saudi club, Al-Nasr, paid English Premiership side Leicester £14.8 million, to secure the services of Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa. 

The four-year deal, in which Musa was guaranteed about US$19.6 million in total, made him the highest-paid Nigerian footballer, in history. 

There are some big deals, in the Gulf, with Qatari side Al-Sadd having been paying Barcelona legend, Xavi, around £160 000 a week, during his playing days.

The finer details of Musona’s deal were not made public but, given he still had a year left on his contract, it means Al-Tai will pay a fee for his services. 

Reports, last night, indicated they will splash about US$1 million. 

But, by agreeing to move, when he still had 12 months left on his deal, it means Musona must have been happy with the package, which should match what he was getting at Anderlecht. 

Otherwise, as he wielded all the power, Musona would just have chosen to stay at the Belgian giants, and run out his contract, if he felt he was being pushed into a deal, where he would earn less than what he was getting at Anderlecht. 

At 31, he has also come to a stage, in his career, where he had to factor in what is best for him, in terms of securing his financial interests, given he might not have many major deals, on the plate, in the future. The latest developments mark the end of a rollercoaster ride for the Smiling Assassin, in terms of his European adventure. 

He arrived in Europe as a raw 21-year-old, in July 2011, after securing a five-year deal, with Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim.

“(Musona) has shown that he can score for club and country and we want to build up on this potential,” the coach who brought him to Hoffenheim, Holger Stanislawski, said when the deal was confirmed. 

Another German coach, Dieter-Klaus Pagels, who was then the interim Warriors gaffer, said, at the time, the five-year duration of the contract meant the Bundesliga side had a lot of confidence, in his potential.

However, a combination of injuries, the axing of the coach who signed him, after Musona had spent just one season, and a general lack of confidence, combined to make it a frustrating introduction, for the Smiling Assassin. 

He was sent out on loan, at Augsburg but, again, things didn’t work according to plan, and a return of just one goal, in 17 appearances, over 964 minutes, saw him return to his parent club. Musona, with his confidence now at an all-time low, retraced his footsteps back to Kaizer Chiefs, on another loan spell, before returning to Europe, where he emerged at KV Oostende, in the Belgian top-flight league. 

Here, he enjoyed probably his best spell, during his European adventure, making 112 appearances, scoring 41 goals, across all fronts, and providing 19 assists, over 8 623 minutes. 

He was playing so well Anderlecht came knocking on the door, for his service, in what was supposed to represent a redemption exercise, in terms of establishing himself, among the top European clubs. But, the move turned into a nightmare, with just 10 appearances, a goal, and two assists, over 463 minutes, leading to loan spells at Sporting Lokeren (one goal in six games) and KAS Eupen (nine goals, in 33 games). With Eupen unable to take him on board, on a permanent deal, because of his huge salary, Musona returned to Anderlecht. 

But, the writing was on the wall that, barring a miracle, his time at the club was over.

His time in Europe, too, had also come to an end, a decade after he first arrived in Germany, bubbling with both passion and ambition.