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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

UNHERALDED Zimbabwean teenage footballer Panashe Kondo is dreaming big after securing his first professional contract in Greece.

Kondo, formerly of BN Academy in Harare, signed for Thyella Pyrgou AC in the Gamma Ethniki league, which is the third tier of Greek football.

His dream is to progress to the Super League 2, then the top-flight Super League 1 and eventually join one of the Big Five Leagues in Europe.

The 19-year-old forward said he was looking to make the most of his time in Greece where he believes he will grow his career much faster because of the facilities at his disposal and the high quality coaching.

Age is still on his side. Kondo made the breakthrough after he was linked with the club by a friend who was playing in Poland. “I’m 19-years-old at the moment and I will be turning 20 years in June 2023,” he said from his base in Greece.

“I joined this club last August. A friend of mine, who I had played football with back in Zimbabwe, hooked me up with the coaches at Thyella Pyrgou AC back in May.

“The club then requested more material about my game and then when I got here for assessment they were impressed. We played some teams in the Super League 2 in friendly games as part of the trials.

“Initially, they wanted to give me a two-year contract but then my agent advised me to go for a shorter one, so that it won’t be a big challenge for me in case of interests from elsewhere.

“So far things are going on well. We have played 10 games and we sit in seventh position with 15 points from 10 games.”  Kondo hails from Waterfalls suburb in Harare. He was educated at Rusununguko High School in Goromonzi. The young forward is at home on both wings or operating as a central striker.

His agent Chamu Musanhu, who is based in Liverpool, England, said the teenager is a good prospect for the future. The former Dynamos defender said he was more comfortable seeing young Zimbabwean players playing in the smaller teams in Europe and rising gradually until they reach their full potential than crossing to South Africa.

He said Europe offers better opportunities for development because of the facilities and the quality of mentorship young players get.

“We should have more players from Zimbabwe playing in Europe than in South Africa,” Musanhu recently told The Herald from his base in Liverpool.

“So this is something that we are working on. So I am hoping that in the next two years Zimbabwe will have more players developing in Europe so that they will end up playing in the senior national team. 

“I think we have seen the FIFA World Cup, most of the players representing Africa at the recent FIFA World Cup were attached in Europe. So we should aim to do the same thing.

“There are a lot of Zimbabweans in Europe right now but no one, especially at ZIFA, knows their whereabouts. There is no tracking (system) and follow-ups.

“So this is what I want to do. I want to help these kids so that they get the necessary exposure from a young age,” said Musanhu.

The former Dynamos defender has been involved in football development projects in England where he has been tracking talented young UK-based players who have links with this country with the aim of grooming them for the Warriors.

Musanhu is also a registered FIFA Player Intermediary and has previously facilitated Warriors defender Alec Mudimu’s move from Welsh side CFN Druids to Moldovan champions FC Sheriff Tiraspol.