Ebson Muguyo
| Ebson 'Sugar' Muguyo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Ebson Muguyo Zimbabwe |
| Nationality | Zimbabwean |
| Occupation | Football Personality |
| Known for | Being the first Zimbabwean to play football in South Africa. |
| Home town | Bulawayo |
Ebson "Sugar" Muguyo is Zimbabwean legendary 1970s striker who was the trailblazer for Zimbabwean players who later on played for foreign teams. Sugar became the first player to play for South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs in the 1970s. So good was Sugar as a player that he was named the 13th greatest Amakhosi player of all-time.[1]
Background
Sugar was born and raised in Southern Zimbabwe. In 1980 he used his wife's air ticket privileges to travel to the UK. She was an air hostess and he was entitled to travel benefits through her. He got the chance to have a feel of English football and got a chance to go to Spurs because he supports them and was there for about four days.
Career
Muguyo during his heydays, played for Zimbabwe Saints Football Club and Eagles before he migrated to South Africa where he became a legend at Amakhosi (Kaizer Chiefs). So good a player was Sugar that on his first Derby, on 29 November 1975, the BP Top 8 semifinal, Muguyo scored the 1-0.
Muguyo joined Kaizer Chiefs in November 1975. His first game for the Glamour Boys came on 19 November 1975, in a BP Top 16 Replay game against Pretoria Callies, providing an assist for Kaizer Motaung to score. In the following seasons, Muguyo would become a goal-scoring phenomenon. In his first full season alone, in 1976, he netted 26 goals (18 for the league and eight in cup games). [2] Ebson ‘Sugar’ Muguyo used to be a terror to Kaizer Chiefs’ opponents’ defence in the late seventies. The Zimbabwean striker was the first Amakhosi to score a hat-trick in an official Soweto Derby. In total, he scored nine Derby goals.
The striker left the Club in 1980 due to persistent knee problems.
Coaching Career
The striker left the Club in 1980 due to persistent knee problems. Locally, Muguyo played for Zimbabwe Saints and Eagles before coaching the two teams. He also coached AmaZulu, Railstars and Njube Sundowns, which he took over after the death of Joshua Mhizha.
In 2017, he made an emotional return to the game that gave him fame when he took charge of Tsholotsho Football Club in the ZIFA Southern Region Division One. He had been out of mainstream football for close to a decade, but believed it was time to extricate himself from the game’s wilderness.
“I have decided to come back to football; I am ready and while I will not reveal my destination, it will definitely be this season,” said Muguyo.
“I almost joined Bulawayo Chiefs Football Club, but we failed to agree on a key issue of players as I wanted to groom youngsters while they wanted old players and I saw it fit to go my way. I am an advocate of youngsters, but these days you rarely have school going players turning out for Division One or even the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League teams unlike in the past where you had the likes of Peter Ndlovu, Benjamin Nkonjera and Willard Khumalo to mention a few,” said Muguyo.[3]
Teams Coached
- Zimbabwe Saints Football Club
- Eagles
- AmaZulu,
- Railstars
- Njube Sundowns
- Tsholotsho Football Club
Reviving Zimbabwe Saints
In 2018, Muguyo chaired a meeting that was to see the return of Zimbabwe Saints in the football circles. According to minutes from a meeting chaired by one of the clubs’ directors, the legendary Ebson “Sugar” Muguyo, the club’s stakeholders reached a consensus that they should revisit the idea of community ownership.[4]
Accolades
13th greatest Kaizer Chiefs (Amakhosi) player of all-time
Trivia
Sugar has been hibernating in golf since his retirement from football. He is a member of Bulawayo’s Harry Allen Golf Club.
After a decade long hiatus from football. Ebson announced he was coming back to the football arena because he felt its underrated:
My ambition now is to bring those glory years back. There is so much talent in schools, but it’s just wasted. A team like Tsholotsho FC shouldn’t be struggling to get quality players, not at all.
References
- ↑ The Herald, Billiat Steps Into Teenage's Shoes, Published 26 July 2018, Retrieved 29 August 2019
- ↑ Kaizer Chiefs DotCom, first Derby in 35 years – Sugar Muguyo, Published 31 October 2015, Retrieved 29 August 2019
- ↑ Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [1], Chronicle, Published: 19 January, 2017, Accessed: 19 February, 2021
- ↑ [2], Nehanda Radio, Published: 25 January, 2018, Accessed: 19 February, 2021
