ZESCO United Football Club Team Ya Ziko
Old is ‘GOLD’ is a very familiar proverb often used to place a great deal of emphasis on the value of old things.
In football, there is a great temptation to align a player’s performance on the pitch with age. Performance and age seem to move in tandem.
The older one gets the better they become at dictating the art of the game and also adapting to the demands of the sport. This is evident when one takes a close look at some of the finest players to have graced the game.
ZESCO United veteran striker, Winston Kalengo remains one of the most spirited and dedicated sportsmen of his time.
At a time when most of his peers have either retired from the sport or opted to get into management, 35-year-old Kalengo’s light in the game still shines bright with each passing phase.
The former Zambia National Team striker is a typical reminder to all football players, young and old that age doesn’t count so long you take good care of yourself.
His longevity in the game is something many football players only dream of.
The Livingstone-born striker’s career in the game has been littered with successful spells at Zanaco FC, AC Leopards of Congo and now at ZESCO United.
Kalengo twice won the Zambian Super League with Zanaco in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
In 2014, the striker signed for ZESCO United where he won back to back league titles before making a move to Congolese side AC Leopards.
In 2017, Kalengo returned to ZESCO United and added two more league titles to his trophy cabinet. His goal scoring prowess at both club and national level, has made him one of the most talented strikers to have emerged from the Zambian game in recent years.
As age slowly catches up with the veteran striker, his goal scoring abilities still remains unquestionable.
Kalengo retains the same level of strength and a certain amount of speed that made him a deadly goal poacher.
His recent goal against Nkana was testament enough that the ZESCO United veteran striker can still smell the goalmouth.
A sober, devoted husband and Christian, Kalengo’s presence at ZESCO United is crucial for the current crop of young players who are slowly finding their feet at the club.
Kalengo’s work ethic and his off-the-field lifestyle has kept him in the same lane with some of the finest players to have graced the beautiful game.
BUFFON, RONALDO AND MESSI
42-year old Italian and Juventus goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the World.
The Italian shot stopper is a FIFA World Cup winner and has 9 Serie A league titles to his name.
Not perturbed by age, Buffon has gone on to play for some of the finest football clubs in the world and has become a crucial member of the Juventus team.
Like Buffon, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both governed the football world for over a decade.
At only 16, Argentina’s and Barcelona star Messi had already started showing signs of a phenomenon he would later become in the game.
In 2010, the little maestro established his grip on the world stage by winning the inaugural Ballon d’Or and went on to win three in a row, after his wins in 2011 and 2012.
Like Lionel Messi, Portuguese and Juventus winger, Ronaldo has established himself among the finest footballers to have ever graced the beautiful game.
At only 23, Ronaldo conquered the football world by winning his first Ballon D’Or and helped Manchester United win three successive league titles and the 2008 Uefa Champions league.
Now both at 33 and 35 respectively, Messi and Ronaldo seem to be reaching the end of their respective reigns. With age slowly waning down on them, the two geniuses seem to be getting better and better at the art.
Ronaldo recently reached a milestone of his career by scoring 750 goals for club and country.
Winston Kalengo may not be a Ronaldo, Messi, or a Buffon. However, discipline, dedication and focus remains at the heart of the four players secret to longevity in the sport.
Ultimately, the proverb’s saying that old things are not waste but are really precious, is true.
Author Desmond Katongo
