Tabitha named in Africa team of decade
Malawi national women’s football team captain Tabitha Chawinga has been named in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) African female XI of the decade.
CAF and International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) selected the players after analysing their performance for their national teams and clubs over the period of 2011-2020.
The Chinese outfit Jiangsu player is among three strikers alongside four-time African Footballer of The Year and captain of Nigeria Asisat Oshoala and 2015 African Footballer of The Year and Cameroonian legend Gaelle Enganamouit.
Other players making the squad are Cameroon goalkeeper Annette Ngo Ndom, Nigerian defensive stalwart and the only African to play in five World Cups Onome Ebi, Estelle Johnson also from Cameroon, Banyana Banyana captain and most capped South African player Janine Van Wyck, Osinachi Ohale of Nigeria, Ghana captain Elizabeth Addo, Nigerian Ngozi Sonia Okobi and Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene of Cameroon.
Tabitha, the first women’s footballer export from Malawi to Europe, said she was honoured to be among the top 11 players in the past decade.
The past decade has seen Tabitha rising from humble beginnings at DD Sunshine to a world-class player at her Chinese Super League side, Jiangsu.
In 2014, Tabitha signed for Krokom/Dvärsätts IF, at age 18 and won the Swedish third-division golden boot after scoring 39 goals in 18 games.
The following year she moved to Sweden’s Elitettan’s Kvarnsvedens IK, leading the team to a championship as well as winning golden boot with 43 goals—14 more than her runner-up.
The club’s first place finish secured them promotion to the Damallsvenskan for the 2016 season.
In the 2016 season, Tabitha was Damallsvenskan’s third highest scorer in the league with 15 goals.
The following year she won the golden boot with 26 goals despite her club’s relegation from the Swedish top-flight league.
In 2018, she joined Jiangsu in a record transfer in women’s football that year.
Soccer analyst Charles Nyirenda, however, observed that despite Tabitha’s splendid international clubs career, she still has a lot to offer at national team, the Scorchers.
He said: “She deserves the recognition and we look forward to seeing her doing more for the national team,” he said.
