By Sheldon Hakata

THERE is a story of Zimbabwean soccer players who plied their trade outside the country but came back pale shadows of their former selves, with nothing to show for their exploits across the borders.
Shingirai Kawondera is one such star who showed lots of promise in the initial stages of his career but never reached the dizzy heights that beckoned.
He started his career at Wieslaw Grabowsk’s Darryn Textiles Africa United in 1998.
A year later, he was in Poland playing for Gornik Zabrze before signing for Cypriot First Division outfit AEP Paphos in 2005.
In 2005-6, he played for Turkish club Gaziantepspor before moving to South Africa in 2007 where he played for SuperSport United.
In July 2007, he signed a two-year contract with Cypriot club AEK Larnaca.
However, in 2008 he was on the road again as he signed for another Turkish club, Nea Salamina.
He began wandering from club to club in the lower rungs of the Cyprus leagues.
Kawondera claims he played in these lower rungs of Cyprus football in order to give him time to ‘complete a Political Science Degree he was studying towards by correspondence with an American College’.
Kawondera was a good footballer, but unfortunately things didn’t work out for him during the one season (2006/7) he spent at SuperSport United down south.
Following years of being praised as the ‘biggest thing to happen to Zimbabwean football’, off-field problems became his biggest drawback in an environment laced with temptations.
During his stay in Tshwane, South Africa, his lifestyle let down SuperSport coach, Pitso Mosimane, the man who had so much belief and trust in Kawondera when he recruited him.
Said Kawondera in an interview with The Patriot: “All along I was just enjoying myself and never made any meaningful investments.
“Taimbofara zvedu, but people should judge me by how I performed on the field of play and not how I spent my time outside football.
“That is the problem I had with former CAPS United coach, Charles Mhlauri.
“And I am not planning to marry anytime soon because I have failed before and all the women I have lived with say I am arrogant.”
The former Zimbabwe international star, Kawondera, is now broke.
His alleged mental instability forced him to be admitted for psychotherapy at some stage.
Today he has nothing to show for nearly 13 seasons of playing football in Europe.
He has fathered three kids with three different women.
Another player who falls into the same category with Kawondera is Gilbert ‘Gidza’ Mushangazhike.
Born on August 11 1977 in Harare, the marauding striker played for the now defunct Fire Batteries before joining South African side Manning Rangers.
Mushangazhike was an aggressive ‘beast’ in front of goal and he scored spectacularly.
He was capable of beating defenders with ease.
At Rangers, he scored a stunning 71 goals in 165 games.
He had seven goals when he left halfway through the 2002/3 season for Chinese club Jiangsun Shuntian.
Upon his return from China in 2008, Gidza joined Orlando Pirates.
He was later loaned to Mpumalanga Black Aces where he scored just once in the 2009/10 season.
It was now evident most of his energy was gone.
Though he was still a useful attacking option, he could not be compared to his time at Rangers.
The striker played for Manzini FC in Swaziland, Jiyangsu Sainty of China, German-based Kickers Emden and in South Africa he played for Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates and Mpumalanga Black Aces.
He was a member of the Zimbabwe 2006 Africa Cup of Nations senior men’s soccer team, which finished bottom of their group in the first round of the competition.
Mushangazhike, who once drove around Harare in top-of-the-range cars, is now a pale shadow of the former star who played where money flowed.
He is believed to be staying in Mbare.
Enter Evans Gwekerere.
On April 27 1985 in Makonde District, Mashonaland West Province, a star was born.
He was named Evans Gwekwerere.
Little did he know that about 20 years later he would find himself playing a central role in reviving a Dynamos team that had been rocked by the departure of popular giants.
Gwekwerere introduced himself to the domestic Premiership with a bang at Rufaro Stadium on March 30 2006 by scoring the winning goal, which carried its weight in gold, and doused the fires of strife threatening to engulf the Glamour Boys in the final moments of a tight game which appeared to be heading for a draw.
Gwekwerere struck a decisive goal that powered Dynamos to victory and provided their fans with just the result they needed.
It was the start of a beautiful romance between the club fans and the player.
Seven goals in seven games saw the Vietnam Bay composing a song for him, ‘Gwekwerere Bhora’.
By July, he was gone from local football, taken by former South African champions Moroka Swallows as their marquee signing for the new season, amid expectations that he was the real deal.
Gwekwerere was most popular for his missing front teeth.
It didn’t work out for the man the Dynamos fans called ‘The Earthquake’.
Some blamed his love of social attractions, which saw him dominate headlines for all the wrong reasons, for destroying his focus and, ultimately, his ability to score goals.
Some illicit pictures of the former Dynamos sensation having the time of his life with a voluptuous Bulawayo raunchy dancer, Thandie ‘Phongo’ Sibindi, a dancer with the Dynamite Queens went viral.
By the time he returned to Dynamos from Moroka Swallows and Jomo Cosmos in South Africa after being offloaded in 2010, it was clear he was no longer the same player — he was burdened with weight issues and lack of confidence.
The following year, he crossed the floor to Dynamos’ bitter rivals, CAPS United.
It appeared, during his stay in South Africa, the domestic Premiership had grown to a level he could not compete in.
He went to Botswana, Mozambique and anywhere he could get a contract until he traced his footsteps back to Dynamos.
It was his third dance with the Glamour Boys and the Dynamos coach at the time, Paulo Jorge Silva, had been crying out for a trusted marksman.
It also did not work out for both the player and the team since he could no longer deliver.
Gwekwerere bought a red BMW 3 Series which he went around partying in a number of joints in the capital.
Now he has a red delivery truck he uses to deliver bread and operates a Sports Bar at Mubayira Growth Point in Mhondoro.
A lot of youngsters have been carried away by fame and successes when signed by foreign clubs.
We talk of players like Denver Mukamba, Rodrick Mutuma, Harlington Shereni, the legendary Francis Shonhayi – who died a pauper — and Simba Sithole, among others.
Indeed, footballers like every other person, must make hay while the sun still shines. Good investments now pay dividends later in retirement.