Two more AYSA stars settle in Spain

Collin Matiza Sports Editor
THE Aces Youth Soccer Academy’s conveyor belt of talented young players has once again produced two more players — Nicholas Guyo and Kundai Mukweva — who have settled at Spanish lower division sides FC Malaga City Academy and CD Almunecar.

According to AYSA, they are the second pair from their academy to go to Spain through its partnership with different clubs in the European country. The first two were goalkeeper Martin Mapisa and midfielder Abubakar Moffat who have since been signed by Tercera División club Velez CF.

Both Mapisa and Moffat are members of the Zimbabwe Under-23 team.

Mapisa is the only goalkeeper from Zimbabwe plying his trade in Europe and he recently indicated that he would like to follow the footsteps of legendary goalminder Bruce Grobbelaar by breaking into the English Premiership.

The 21-year-old is the first choice goalkeeper at Velez CF in the fourth level of the Spanish football league system.

Guyo (20) and Mukweva (19) have now settled at Spanish sides FC Malaga City Academy and CD Almunecar.

They left Zimbabwe for Spain two weeks ago.

FC Malaga City Academy are an elite Spanish football academy based in Almunecar and home of talented 16-year olds and over from across the globe.

CD Almuñécar are a new professional football team owned and operated by FC Málaga City Academy, giving players the chance to progress. It is the hope of AYSA that both Guyo and Mukweva will be nurtured and groomed well at their academies and turn into fully-fledged professionals.

AYSA produced the likes of Knowledge Musona, who captained Zimbabwe at this year’s African Cup of Nations finals in Egypt in June, and Khama Billiat.

They have an impressive list of graduates who have gone on to play football on the local and international leagues.

AYSA have entered into a strategic partnership with Spain-based Football Center of Excellence and USA/Zimbabwe-based College Connect International to promote access to international football opportunities for Zimbabwe’s youth.

Through this partnership AYSA have established new channels for placing its talent internationally and are also creating more opportunities for boys and girls to enrol at American universities. FCE is a network of football academies that advise, train, coach, support and manage football players, and will collaborate in the development and placement of AYSA players with quality football clubs in Europe.

AYSA have partnerships with a number of clubs and academies in Europe and this has seen the likes of Mapisa, Moffat, Guyo and Mukweva moving to Spain with the hopes of one day being snatched by top La Liga clubs such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Valencia.

Barcelona already have on their books a 16-year-old African sensation Ansu Fati whose parents are from Guinea Bissau.

Fati made his full debut for Barcelona when he came off the bench in the Catalan side’s 5-2 win over Real Betis towards the end of August this year. He has since been granted a Spanish citizenship although his father is reported to have wanted him to play for Portugal since Guinea Bissau is a former Portuguese colony.

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