Former Manchester City FC and Jomo Cosmos striker Benjani Mwaruwari has revealed the life-changing pay rise that came with his first move to Europe.
Spotted by then-Zimbabwe coach Clemens Westerhof while still an amateur footballer at the University of Zimbabwe, Mwaruwari was called up to the national team before playing a single competitive top-flight game.
It was during an international fixture against South Africa that he caught the eye of Jomo Sono. Interestingly, he admitted he had no idea he was talking to a South African football icon at the time.
“Jomo approached me, and at the time, I didn’t know him,” Mwaruwari told FARPost. “He told me he had a team… We concluded the deal, and then I was a Cosmos player.”
The Bulawayo-born former striker arrived at Cosmos in 1999 and would go on to spend two seasons there. He moved to Europe in 2001 to join Swiss side Grasshopper Club Zürich, before moving to AJ Auxerre a year later. Mwaruwari’s journey to a European contract was far from straightforward. The 47-year-old recalls trials in China, Norway, and Belgium.
A deal was nearly sealed with Turkish side Antalyaspor, but personal matters back home forced him to ‘lie’ about not liking the club so he could return to resolve things with his partner.
HOW MUCH MWARUWARI WAS EARNING AT JOMO COSMOS
After four failed attempts to secure a move abroad, Mwaruwari’s fifth trial at Grasshoppers Zurich changed everything. It took only one training session and a sharp performance in a small-sided game for the Swiss giants to make their move.
The financial implications were life-changing. At Ezenkosi, ‘Benjy’ was earning R9,000 per month. Upon signing with Grasshoppers, his salary jumped to ten times that amount, complemented by a €10,000 signing-on fee.
“I still remember that training session, my first touch was good, I was so sharp, and the coach called me and said they are taking me – signing me in the first session. I used to earn R9000 at Cosmos, and now I was going to earn ten times that. My signing-on fee was €10000,” recalls the former Warriors captain.
He signed with Premier League club Portsmouth in 2006 before playing for Manchester City, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers. He rejoined Portsmouth in 2011, and the following year, he returned to South Africa to join Chippa United, followed by a stint with Bidvest Wits.
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