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HE saved the best for last and, for some of us who had the privilege to watch it live, it was worth the one hour and 17 minutes we had waited on Wednesday night for our football star to produce his piece of magic. When the ball was moved into his path, he was occupying the tip of the Orlando Pirates’ diamond, with his back towards goal, and a deft touch with his left foot swept the ball into the opposition area, at the same time sending confusion among the defenders as a highway of opportunities opened up in front of him.

A touch moved the ball exactly where he wanted and, with his confidence levels having been boosted by two earlier goals, including a downward header that was a throwback to the days when old-fashioned number nines like Gift “Ghetto” Mpariwa and Charles “Chola” Chirwa roamed our football fields, he curled the ball into the top corner with the precision of a trusted gunslinger.

He didn’t break stride, from the moment he touched the ball with his left foot to divert it into a zone from where he could pull the trigger, the way he spun to face goal, the touch that pushed the ball to where he wanted and the final touch that produced the curl that sent the ball into the top corner, the entire action a rhythm of excellence as the ruthless marksman completed his task in style.

Of course, there have been better goals scored in Super Diski, and maybe, Denver Mukamba’s sublime strike at Rufaro on Sunday, the way he subtracted his opponent, cut inside and then, from the edge of the box, swept the ball into the corner, with pace and accuracy, was a better one than Ndoro’s third goal.

But, given how Ndoro suffered, this time last year, when his then coach Eric Tinkler appeared to regard him as excess baggage that should be dumped out of Orlando Pirates, blowing holes into the confidence of a man who plays in a position where rhythm and confidence, which comes with playing regularly and scoring a number of goals, are everything, just seeing him score with such swagger was special and a beautiful sight to behold.

His critics have always claimed that Ndoro is one-dimensional, he just runs and pulls the trigger, he lacks the technique needed for one to be a successful modern-day forward in a game whose defenders are getting clever, faster and can also play the ball and — just like Tinkler at the beginning of last season — they say he lacks the quality to make it at the very top.

Admittedly, football has changed a lot since the days when Ghetto M’pariwa, Shacky Tauro, the man the late great football commentator Choga Tichatonga Gavhure called, “Mr Goals, Chinyaride, Bere, mazita kuita kupfekerana,” Never “Maswerasei” Chiku and the likes would just position themselves in the box and wait for one chance and bury it.

Football has become scientific and teams can now even play with a false number nine, which means that those strikers who want to still remain relevant have to adapt and not only improve the way they defend, but also how they position themselves, how they feed off the creative arms of their teams and where, in the past, they would only roam the penalty areas, they are now seen to spend a lot of time roaming the wings.

And, watching Ndoro on Wednesday score a tap-in, positioning himself at the right place at the right time, then scoring a downward header that bounced off the turf to give the ‘keeper no chance and then turning smartly to curl the ball into the top corner for the third, provided us with the full package that one expects from a striker.

One delirious Orlando Pirates fan, overwhelmed by the impact that Ndoro made in his team’s game on Wednesday night, even went to the extent of offering the Zimbabwean forward his daughter as a wife and, for good measure, told him that he didn’t even need to worry about paying lobola.

Of course, one swallow doesn’t make a summer and scoring three goals against Golden Arrows doesn’t suddenly turn one into a superstar and, to his credit, Ndoro is refusing to embrace the rave reviews that have been coming his way from both the South African and Zimbabwean media.

There will be tougher opponents than Golden Arrows in the future and there will be good chances that will be blown away, as happens to any striker, and the same Pirates fans, who have been calling him a hero since his beauty and assist knocked out Mamelodi Sundowns from the Nedbank Cup semi-finals last season, can turn on him quickly and start calling him a “mukwerekwere, a donkey who must be sent home back to Zimbabwe”.

Football is a brutal game and leading the line, especially for a big team like Pirates where you will always be judged by the number of goals you score, where you are only as good as your last game, where you have to do more to win the hearts of the fans when you are a foreigner, especially a Zimbabwean, can be a very lonely and very, very demanding job.

Ndoro, to his credit, appears to know that and rather than getting drowned in the blaze of publicity that has followed his brilliant second half show on Wednesday night, he remains rooted to the ground, telling the journalists that he still has a lot to learn from his new coach and, hopefully, as time goes on, he will get better and better.

And, more importantly, he credits God for the transformation that has happened in his career in the past year, where he has gone from an unwanted striker who should have been dumped out of the club into the man Pirates, the only Southern African club to be crowned champions of Africa, can rely on for their goal supply.

GOOD THINGS USUALLY GO

TO THE GOOD MEN

Maybe, it’s only fair that a player like Ndoro should be rewarded abundantly in his career because, more than being a good footballer, something that will last when his talent fades away, when age catches up with him and he settles to the reality that he can’t run as fast, he can’t turn as quickly and he can’t shoot as powerfully, he is a damn good man.

And that is more important than being a good footballer.

When former Amazulu captain David Mkandawire’s plight that he had turned into a destitute in Johannesburg was highlighted, Ndoro was the only member of our footballers based in South Africa who had the heart to go and look for his countryman.

He roamed the streets of Kempton Park, where Mkandawire, who also played for the University of Pretoria before he fell on hard times, would wander aimlessly, throughout the day, in dirty faded clothes, plucking food from the bins just to keep himself alive, to look for his countryman.

He felt he could provide a helping hand, help his countryman change a life that had skidded off the rails and when he eventually found him, it proved to be a game-changer for Mkandawire whose plight had deteriorated so much that he needed psychiatric help in a specialist hospital.

Ndoro’s spirited efforts to change the life of a fellow countryman who had fallen on bad times caught the attention of Robert Marawa, an iconic and influential figure when it comes to sports presenting in South Africa through his television and radio shows, and their interview — related to Mawarire’s plight — caught the attention of the people of the Rainbow Nation.

Of course, what makes Ndoro’s efforts even more special is that he isn’t the best-paid Zimbabwean footballer in South Africa and plays for a club that is known not to have a rigid paying structure that doesn’t compare favourably with the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns.

Until last year, he was playing for an obscure Mpumalanga football club that has since been disbanded after its owners sold the franchise to a Cape Town businessman.

That is why Ndoro has worked his way into the hearts of millions of people, including some who are not even football fans, who have been charmed by his charitable side and, maybe, it’s only right that he should be blessed abundantly.

Mkandawire’s mother, who was moved from Malawi to come and be with his son as he recovered in hospital in Johannesburg, thanked Ndoro for the great work that he did to rescue her son from the streets and give David a new lease of life.

When such old people speak highly of you, and wish you well, chances are that you will be showered with blessings and maybe Ndoro is being driven by the spirits of goodwill which have been charmed by the fact that he is a good man.

Of course, he has his weakness, like all of us, and there have been some nasty tabloid stories about him in South Africa, related to his romances, or failed romances, and the more that he weeds that from his profile the better for him and his future.

WELCOME BACK

DENVER MUKAMBA

I have never doubted the qualities of Denver Mukamba, the footballer, and I have taken a lot of stick for that, especially after he failed to make the kind of impact that we all thought he was going to make when he moved to South Africa.

Of course, I have always had issues with Denver, the person, because I always felt that he leaves himself too exposed to things that end up affecting his game and his handlers need to advise him of about a footballer who used to play for Manchester United called Lee Sharpe who, to some, was as good, if not better, than Ryan Giggs.

During the 1991/92 season, Sir Alex Ferguson turned up at Sharpe’s house and found the rising star, and his friend Giggs, having a wild party, with drinks and women all over the house, which the United manager abruptly ended and warned the two players that, from now, they would either behave or they would be thrown out of his team.

Giggs decided to heed his manager’s warning and, to his credit, developed into one of the greatest players to ever play for United.

Sharpe decided to ignore his manager and, four years later, he was out of United and on the road to ruin.

“If booze and gambling and injuries don’t get you, the tabloids surely will,” The Guardian newspaper said in their reflection of Sharpe, a talent that was wasted.

“And Sharpe. Well, he’s Lee Sharpe isn’t he? Threw it all away. Manchester United at 17, England at 19, PFA Young Player the same year, after a brilliant hat-trick in the 6-2 rout against Arsenal back in 1990 when the League Cup still meant something.

“Could have been left-side for England for years. Look at this summer’s World Cup, crying out for a number 11. That could have been Sharpey — still only 31 — but no.

“He left that office chat with Ferguson and lost his way. Left Manchester United soon after for Leeds United, but the rumours and tabloids followed. Just a handful of appearances there, then it was off on loan to Sampdoria, only to see David Platt leave within a month, and the lad from Halesowen, then 28, went back ‘as quick as I could’ to Bradford City.

“He was forced to scratch around on trial at Grimsby and Rotherham; neither worked out. And so last month it was to the Third Division and Exeter City for a game-by-game deal that collapsed soon after this interview.

“Now, he does not even have a club. That’s what happened to Lee Sharpe.”

It could have happened to Denver, but someone appeared to have had a serious talk with him, of late, and that goal on Sunday was a reminder that he could slowly be finding his way back.

Hopefully, it’s time for his football to make the headlines.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Come on Warriors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Khamaldinhooooooooooooooooooo!

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