Football
Simba Mushati, Special to ESPN 6y

Can diminutive Tatenda Tumba become Zimbabwe's next big thing?

Harare City midfielder Tatenda Tumba is perhaps the most exciting prospect to emerge from the Zimbabwean top flight since Tino Kadewere, but at 1,58m tall, will the 19-year-old's stature prevent him from fulfilling his awesome potential?

So far, Tumba's small frame has proved no inhibition at all as he blossoms into one of the most consistent performers in the Zimbabwe Premier League.

City boss Mark Harrison is actually full of admiration for the way in which his prodigy throws himself into duels, both in the air and on the ground, and more often coming out on top.

"He is a very strong young man, he is a strong boy. Yes he is not the tallest guy, but pound to pound he is very strong," Harrison told KweséESPN.

"He does a lot of gym work, so upper body and lower body he is very powerful, and if you watch him in the game, it's not very often that he gets pushed off the ball.

"He has got good balance, he rides tackles well and he can compete with people in the air. I think he can go all the way."

Although Tumba made his debut for City way back in 2015 as late second-half substitute in a 2-1 win over Dynamos in the Chibuku final, it is only this season under Harrison that he has managed to get a consistent run in the team.

He has grown in confidence with each passing week, becoming City's focal point in the attacking third during a season in which Harrison's men have often punched above their weight.

"Since the beginning of the season he has got a lot of game time and he has used it to his potential," Harrison said.

"He is growing now and I think he is still a young man and he still got a lot of work to do and a lot of learning to do, but he is going in the right direction. He has got a big future ahead of him."

Tumba had started well last season too only for an injury layoff to disrupt his momentum.

By the time he regained full fitness, then-coach Philani Ncube was grappling with persistent relegation nightmares and had little room to give the midfielder the space he needed to recover his sharpness.

Tumba's exceptional talent however has never been in doubt since he burst onto the scene in schools football back in 2013 when he guided Chemhanza High School to victory at the national finals of the Copa Coca-Cola tournament.

That same year, he emerged as the top scorer and player of the tournament as Zimbabwe won the Copa Coca-Cola International camp in South Africa.

Something truly remarkable happened at the 2014 Copa Coca-Cola national finals in 2014 as Tumba helped Chemhanza retain their crown.

After an outstanding individual performance in the final at Harare's Gwanzura Stadium, ecstatic fans invaded the pitch at the final whistle to hoist Tumba shoulder high before dragging the weary star round the stadium on a victory lap. 

It was former City coach Taurai Mangwiro who brought Tumba into the Premiership in 2015 after some strong recommendations from a colleague.

"I was immediately impressed by his fearlessness," Mangwiro told KweséESPN. "He makes up for his shot frame by being a fierce competitor, that's one thing about him.

"Most important for him also, he is technically sound."

In a country that has often struggled to produce the level of talent to match other African nations, the significance of the emergence of a player of Tumba's quality cannot be overemphasised.

Given his small frame however, 'Boss Tumba' would need to work twice as hard if he is to eventually attract interest from Europe and also make it into the national team.

Having missed the cut for the COSAFA Cup squad, Tumba can expect to seize the upcoming U-23 engagements to introduce himself on the international stage as Zimbabwe participate in the qualifiers for the 2019 All-Africa Games and the 2020 Olympics.

Harrison, for his part, does not need any more convincing.

"He has got a lot of attributes," the coach concluded. "He has got a very good range of passing, he is quick, he can dribble, and he can actually head the ball.

"He has got a great strike on him. I think he has got all the attributes. He just needs to polish his game all round. He has to get tactically more aware."

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