Ex-Maritzburg United midfielder handpicked as FC Platinum’s mainstay 

Norman Mapeza has handpicked ex-Maritzburg United defensive midfield Blessing Moyo as FC Platinum’s mainstay as they close in on a fourth Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title on the trot.

The former Chippa United mentor hardly heaps praise on individual players with the intention of promoting team spirit and for the avoidance of individualism. 

But the 27-year-old has been so sterling in midfield that Mapeza has been left talking enthusiastically and effusively about the utility player.

SPECIAL PRAISE FOR MOYO

“I hardly do this, but he [Blessing Moyo] has been doing well. He has been exceptional this season. It’s his first with us,” said Mapeza.

“Our kind of play demands a steady and focused defensive midfielder—someone clinical when he passes the ball forward.

“He has been exactly that for us and even more. He sticks to the basics of football, and that’s what I have always taught my players to do at every stage,” Mapeza said.

Moyo, who also played for Real Kings, combines well with former Highlanders attacking midfielder Brian Banda.

“How he fitted into the team is impressive, and the combination has made us do well, but most importantly, the whole team moves perfectly well.

“Everyone has done well so far, and we are not stopping because the club has a vision and objectives that go beyond a single season.

“We have targets, and hopefully this season, we are setting a marker for the next seasons. We are all optimistic,” he added.

Moyo rose through the ranks from Dynamos juniors before being elevated to the senior team in January 2013.

He won two titles with the Harare giants in 2013 and 2014 before joining The Team of Choice in 2016, having also been part of the Zimbabwe national team under the tutelage of Callisto Pasuwa.

In South Africa, Moyo had brief stints at TS Sporting and Real Kings in 2019 before surfacing at the three-time Zimbabwean champions, FC Platinum, in January 2021.