Uganda’s champions league player, Kizito
FROM his early days in Mutukula, and like many young boys, Joseph Nestroy Kizito was addicted to soccer. What distinguished him from the many who dream of a life as a football professional was his brilliance on the ball, his old friends say.
REPRESENTING UGANDA ABROAD
By Shamilla Kara
FROM his early days in Mutukula, and like many young boys, Joseph Nestroy Kizito was addicted to soccer. What distinguished him from the many who dream of a life as a football professional was his brilliance on the ball, his old friends say.
His abilities earned him the reputation of being one of the best players in Kiziba village, where he led Kimbugu football club to first division titles as a captain. His skills also garnered him the nickname ‘baby Paulo Maldini’ from the locals, after the legendary AC Milan defender.
Being likened to with a celebrity footballer seemed to have catalysed Kizito’s early success in football, “He became :my idol. I always wanted to play and achieve what Maldini obtained and I always tried to learn more from him,†he says.
Kizito recently became the first Ugandan player to compete in the coveted European Champions League, as a defender for FC Partizan Belgrade.
The 28-year-old has been playing for the football club, the biggest in Serbia, for five years now. The club is also the champion of Serbia’s SuperLiga.
And even though Kizito has received numerous awards, as an individual player and accolades with his previous clubs SC Villa and Srem FC in Serbia, he says it is the achievements he gained while at Vojvodina that still stand out for him.
“It is at Vojvodina where it really started for me,†says Kizito, of his career as a competitive footballer.
Kizito adds that he was able to discover his full potential when he played with some of the best players, especially when demands were steep and the expectations of fans high.
He managed to conquer the hearts of his Vojvodina fans when he scored a goal against their long-time rivals, Red Star Belgrade, during their 2005/2006 season oat his club’s home ground.
The fans paid him back for his efforts by voting him the “Vojvodina supporters’ player of the year†twice in 2005 and 2009.
Living in Serbia
“I am comfortable. My wages are fine and all facilitation, such as housing and transport, is perfect for me,†says the defender who now speaks Serbian and lives there with his wife and three children.
On the cost of living and wage expectations, Kizito says from a Ugandan’s perspective, “It is expensive. In Serbia, the average monthly pay is approximately 500 Euros (about sh1.5m) a month. You have to work really hard to survive here.â€
Parents, education and football
Kizito says he would probably not be pursuing football today, if he had succumbed to his parents’ pressures.
Like most parents, his were concerned with his education first.
“They wanted me to study, spend more time reading books and revising. My mum in particular used to cane me terribly about that,†says Kizito who eventually dropped out of school when a footballing opportunity came knocking.
“Football was what I wanted,†he says.
And all the admonishing at home did not deter him from sneaking out to play.
“I did not tell my parents when I got a chance to lift mycareer off the ground.
“I had the choice of joining a football club in Tanzania called Police or moving to SC Villa. I chose Villa because of the history it had,†says Kizito, who points out that his parents are now proud of him.
“When they look back, they thank God for all that has happened because there could have been regrets.â€
skara@newvision.co.ug
www.representinguganda
abroad.webs.com
By Shamilla Kara
FROM his early days in Mutukula, and like many young boys, Joseph Nestroy Kizito was addicted to soccer. What distinguished him from the many who dream of a life as a football professional was his brilliance on the ball, his old friends say.
His abilities earned him the reputation of being one of the best players in Kiziba village, where he led Kimbugu football club to first division titles as a captain. His skills also garnered him the nickname ‘baby Paulo Maldini’ from the locals, after the legendary AC Milan defender.
Being likened to with a celebrity footballer seemed to have catalysed Kizito’s early success in football, “He became :my idol. I always wanted to play and achieve what Maldini obtained and I always tried to learn more from him,†he says.
Kizito recently became the first Ugandan player to compete in the coveted European Champions League, as a defender for FC Partizan Belgrade.
The 28-year-old has been playing for the football club, the biggest in Serbia, for five years now. The club is also the champion of Serbia’s SuperLiga.
And even though Kizito has received numerous awards, as an individual player and accolades with his previous clubs SC Villa and Srem FC in Serbia, he says it is the achievements he gained while at Vojvodina that still stand out for him.
“It is at Vojvodina where it really started for me,†says Kizito, of his career as a competitive footballer.
Kizito adds that he was able to discover his full potential when he played with some of the best players, especially when demands were steep and the expectations of fans high.
He managed to conquer the hearts of his Vojvodina fans when he scored a goal against their long-time rivals, Red Star Belgrade, during their 2005/2006 season oat his club’s home ground.
The fans paid him back for his efforts by voting him the “Vojvodina supporters’ player of the year†twice in 2005 and 2009.
Living in Serbia
“I am comfortable. My wages are fine and all facilitation, such as housing and transport, is perfect for me,†says the defender who now speaks Serbian and lives there with his wife and three children.
On the cost of living and wage expectations, Kizito says from a Ugandan’s perspective, “It is expensive. In Serbia, the average monthly pay is approximately 500 Euros (about sh1.5m) a month. You have to work really hard to survive here.â€
Parents, education and football
Kizito says he would probably not be pursuing football today, if he had succumbed to his parents’ pressures.
Like most parents, his were concerned with his education first.
“They wanted me to study, spend more time reading books and revising. My mum in particular used to cane me terribly about that,†says Kizito who eventually dropped out of school when a footballing opportunity came knocking.
“Football was what I wanted,†he says.
And all the admonishing at home did not deter him from sneaking out to play.
“I did not tell my parents when I got a chance to lift mycareer off the ground.
“I had the choice of joining a football club in Tanzania called Police or moving to SC Villa. I chose Villa because of the history it had,†says Kizito, who points out that his parents are now proud of him.
“When they look back, they thank God for all that has happened because there could have been regrets.â€
skara@newvision.co.ug
www.representinguganda
abroad.webs.com