Andrew Watson: The 'most influential' black footballer for decades lost to history

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  By Andrew Aloia BBC Sport Last updated on 11 October 2021 11 October 2021 . From the section Football Watson was a trailblazer who helped transform how football was played There are two murals of black footballers facing one another across an alleyway in Glasgow. One helped shape football as we know it, the other is Pele. Andrew Watson captained Scotland to a 6-1 win over England on his debut in 1881. He was a pioneer, the world's first black international, but for more than a century the significance of his achievements went unrecognised. Research conducted over the past three decades has left us with some biographical details: a man descended of slaves and of those who enslaved them, born in Guyana, raised to become an English gentleman and famed as one of Scottish football's first icons. And yet today, 100 years on from his death aged 64, Watson remains something of an enigma, the picture built around him a fractured one. His grainy, faded, sepia image evokes many differen...

Nakamba builds lavish castle in Bulawayo

 by Staff reporter

 04 Jul 2021 at 14:41hrs | 10774 Views
ZIMBABWEAN midfield maestro Marvelous Nakamba is making the most of his career in the lucrative English Premier League after it emerged that he is constructing a multimillion dollar castle in Bulawayo.

According to documents in the possession of this publication, Nakamba was initially scheduled to begin work on the double-storey project in January 2020.

It is a massive castle with features such as three bedrooms all with ensuite on the ground floor plan, a swimming pool, an elevator, three lounges, a three-car garage, double volume dining room, study and offices for the player's foundation.

Inside the property located at number 2 Willsgrove Road, Manningdale, Bulawayo, are also staff quarters, multiple covered patios, an elaborate entertainment area and a second bar by the pool.

But The Sports Hub gathered that the football star has since abandoned that initial plan after purchasing the land next to the initial property.

A source close to the player revealed that demolitions have already been done on the property next door and it could be that Nakamba is looking to construct an even bigger structure as he continues to invest in property.

Efforts to get a comment from Nakamba were fruitless. However, the new property in Manningdale will be a significant upgrade for Nakamba, who three years ago constructed a 14-roomed mansion in Bulawayo's leafy Sunninghill suburb while he was still at Belgian side Club Brugge.

The five-bedroomed mansion built on a one-andhalf hectare plot along Graham Road is currently the Nakambas family home. In addition to the new multimillion dollar project, Nakamba, through the Marvellous Nakamba Foundation Trust, is also planning to build a sports centre in Mahatshula suburb in the country's second largest city.

The Aston Villa midfielder was last year offered land measuring 5.1594 hectares for the construction of a state-of-the-art sports centre by the Bulawayo City Council.

While he has been investing in property, Nakamba, who is inspired by Zimbabwean compatriot and business mogul, Strive Masiyiwa, has also been making strides in the world of business.

Early this year the former Bantu Rovers player was reported to have opened a state-of-the-art printing and design shop "Marvel Design and Printing" in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Aston Villa midfielder plans to open similar shops in Harare and Bulawayo.

The company provides printing technology for business stationery, publications, billboards, flyers, banners, vinyl printing and vehicle branding.

Nakamba appears to be learning from his friend, the former Nottingham Forest and Queens Park Rangers striker, Dexter Blackstock, who accompanied him when he met President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House a fortnight ago.

Blackstock has now ventured into business, since he retired from football four years ago, and is establishing himself as a successful entrepreneur, intent on revolutionising the pharmaceutical industry.
He is the founder and chief executive of a London-based medical technology firm, MediConnect, and according to The Guardian newspaper, last year he vowed to distribute £1m of equipment to frontline staff amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Just like Blackstock, Nakamba has also been giving back to the community through generous donations to children from less privileged backgrounds in the country. Nakamba recently paid first term school fees for 1 000 students from deprived backgrounds through his foundation.

He plans to set up a soccer academy in his hometown Bulawayo and two weeks ago he was set to host a youth football tournament in the country's second largest city before his plans were hampered by the fresh ban on sporting activities in the country due to a rise in new Covid-19 infections.

While Nakamba has been investing heavily in property and business and giving back to the community through his foundation, the Warriors star is also known to have an expensive taste in cars.

Recently images of the football star showing off his lavish Lamborghini Avent went viral on social media.

Nakamba's latest super car puts him in the league of professional footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, Benjamin Mendy, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Paul Pogba and many other Europe-based football stars who own a Lamborghini Aventador in their car collections.

The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, which is reportedly worth a staggering $425 000, has a top speed of 217mph and it accelerates from zero to 60mph in just 2.8 seconds.

Nakamba has been spotted arriving at his training sessions at Aston Villa in a number of luxurious vehicles such as a Mercedes Benz CLA-250 Coupe and a Brabus 800 Widestar.

Villa signed Nakamba on a fiveyear-deal from Belgian giants Club Brugge for a reported transfer fee of £11m in August 2019.

The lucrative contract earns the Zimbabwean defensive midfielder a salary of a whooping 2.5 million euros (£2.2 million) per year.

Source - the standard
More on: #Nakamba#Mnsion#Build

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