Kanyenda among SA’s best
Flames forward Esau Kanyenda has been ranked eighth among 30 best foreign strikers in the South Africa Premier Soccer League (PSL).
The Polokwane City hitman is the only Malawian striker on the latest list released by South Africa’s top soccer magazine Kickoff on Tuesday.
He has been placed above the likes of Zimbabwean Peter Ndlovu (12), former Zambian captain Christopher Katongo (14) and Senegalese MameNiang (25).
AtusayeNyondo, Frank ‘Gabadinho’ Mhango, Robin Ngalande and Muhammed Sulumba, who has just been roped in by Jomo Cosmos, are the Malawian strikers plying their trade in the PSL.
Previously, the PSL had other Malawian strikers Russel Mwafulirwa, Peter Wadabwa, Jimmy Zakazaka and ChiukepoMsowoya, who is on trials at South Africa outfit Bidvets Wits University.
Wrote Kickoff about Kanyenda: “The Black Mamba might have slowed down on his effectiveness of late with his scoring touch also evaporating but that is expected of a man who is almost 33 and in the twilight of his career.”
The magazine added that based on PSL standards, anyone with 43 goals in 92 starts is definitely a huge success story.
“If you add another 10 that he scored in his first season with Polokwane City while they were still playing in the First Division, then you realise why Kanyenda is so high up on this list. All the 10 goals he scored as Polokwane earned promotion that season came in games the club won, which is why much of Rise and Shine’s promotion is attributed to him.”
Kanyenda’s most productive years were at Jomo Cosmos, where he was in double figures in both of the seasons that he spent at the club before leaving for Russian club FC Rostov in 2003.
“Such was Kanyenda’s effect in his first spell in the PSL at Cosmos that he scored 18 goals in 28 starts in his first season in South Africa, finishing just one goal shy of winning the PSL Top Goal Scorer award for 2001-02,” the magazine summarised.
