HomeOld_Posts‘Chopper’ opts for soccer boots

‘Chopper’ opts for soccer boots

Published on

By Sheldon Hakata

CHIMBETU is a household name in the local music industry.
From Simon ‘Chopper’, Naison ‘Dr Nero’, Sulumani ‘Sudza’ to Tryson Chimbetu, the family is touted as one of the best when it comes to music.
But in Wilmore, the Chimbetu music tradition has been broken.
The young man has decided to drop the guitar for soccer boots.
Unknown to many, one of the Chimbetu brothers, the ‘fathers’ of Dendera music, Briam was a soccer player who was forced to retire from the game when he fractured his leg while at Musengezi High School.
Wilmore was born on February 14 1998 in Glen View Three, Harare.
He is the son of Naison who founded the dendera genre together with his brother the late inimitable Simon.
Despite playing the bass guitar for his brother, Tryson’s Dendera Kings, as well as doing backing vocals and loving the song ‘Peace Maker’ done by his father Naison and uncle Simon, when they were known as the Marxist Brothers, it is soccer that tickles his fancy.
The young player said despite coming from a musical family, he finds football more fascinating.
So serious is he about his soccer career that he does not take alcohol or smoke despite finding himself in environments where this is done with wilful abandon when he supports his brother in music venues across the country.
Religiously, he keeps fit by ‘hitting the road’ at 5am, rain or sunshine.
“When your work is not just work but the element that defines you; when you get satisfaction that overrides any pain you may experience then nothing else matters, you plough on,” he said.
The fourth child in a family of five, Wilmore grew up in the high density suburb of Glen View Three where one of the sources of entertainment was playing soccer, barefoot, with a makeshift ball (chikweshe).
He went to Glen View Six Primary School and later Glen View High One for his secondary education.
‘Chopper’, as he is affectionately known by his fans, is married to Fatima Machakanya who hails from Wedza and are blessed with a one-and-half-year-old son, Melchzedeck.
While his sibligs and cousins were interested in the music instruments of their fathers, Wilmore’s interest lay in soccer and he worked hard at it.
His hard work paid off in 2012-2013 when he got drafted into a local minor league club, Dunamis Football Club.
The soccer players earned nicknames for various reasons on and off the pitch.
His father was dubbed ‘Dr Nero’.
But he would go on to get the nickname of his uncle Simon, ‘Chopper’.
The world began to pay attention when the 20-year-old ‘Chopper’ caught the eye of the skeptical school administrators at Herentals Football Club.
He earned a spot in the team just months after the team was formed.
He proved himself at Herentals Football Club by playing as a right back.
On the pitch, he is a disciplined player providing options down the touch-line as well as creating opportunities for his teammates.
In the evolution of the modern game, wing-backs are the combination of wingers and full backs.
His is a physically demanding position in modern football.
And the young player has proved to be good off-the-ball as he is able to create attacking opportunities for his team by running into spaces.
Possessing pace and stamina to handle the demand of covering large distances up and down the flank and outrunning opponents, he has become invaluable to his team.
So good is he with ball possession that one would think the ball is attached to his feet when he moves down the field.
Pundits contend if the lad maintains discipline, he will develop into a great player in the mold of the late prominent former Highlanders right back, Mercedes ‘Rambo’ Sibanda, or national team player Ronald Pfumbidzai who were successful fullbacks.
Wilmore is not a selfish player and his assists have on several occasions helped the team win matches.
Chimbetu draws inspiration from Brazil’s legend, Roberto Carlos.
Besides his extraordinary command of the ball and powerful kicks, he has deft feet that expertly dribble the ball.
His powerful headshots have also made him a tricky customer to opponents.
With his favourite teams being CAPS United (Zimbabwe), Real Madrid (Spain) and Chelsea (EPL), the young man hopes to one day play in the big leagues, especially in Europe where the game is highly competitive and rewarding.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest articles

Kariba Municipality commits to President’s service delivery blueprint

By Kundai Marunya IT is rare to find opposition-controlled urban councils throwing their weight on...

The resurgence of Theileriosis in 2024 

THE issues of global changes, climate change and tick-borne diseases cannot be ignored, given...

Britain haunted by its hostile policy on Zimbabwe

TWO critical lessons drawn from the recent debate on Zimbabwe in the British House...

The contentious issue of race

 By Nthungo YaAfrika AS much as Africans would want to have closure to many of...

More like this

Kariba Municipality commits to President’s service delivery blueprint

By Kundai Marunya IT is rare to find opposition-controlled urban councils throwing their weight on...

The resurgence of Theileriosis in 2024 

THE issues of global changes, climate change and tick-borne diseases cannot be ignored, given...

Britain haunted by its hostile policy on Zimbabwe

TWO critical lessons drawn from the recent debate on Zimbabwe in the British House...

Discover more from Celebrating Being Zimbabwean

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading