Former Mamelodi Sundowns star Esrom Nyandoro has named his national team colleague as the “best ever midfield partner” he played alongside, citing their shared “winners mentality” as the key to their successful partnership.
Nyandoro and Tinashe Nengomasha, once fierce competitors in the PSL, with Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, forged a revered partnership that carried Zimbabwe to its first Afcon appearances in 2004 and then in 2006 under coach Sunday Chidzambwa.
The two greatest midfielders of a Zimbabwean generation first clashed in the PSL before creating a formidable combination that remains revered in the country.
It was coach Chidzambwa,who moulded the duo into a settled unit within a squad that was spurred by Peter Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari, among others.
In an interview with FARPost, the 45yearold Nyandoro said he later developed a strong bond with Nengomasha, even though they struggled to get along at first sight.
“We were both winners. One thing about Tinashe is that he’s a winner, make no mistake about it. He doesn’t like to lose. I also don’t like to lose,” Nyandoro told FARPost.
“He is hard, I’m also harder, you know. I think that the good part was our mindset at the end of the day. For me, even losing at training was not my thing. I always wanted to win.”
He added, “But with more similarities, it was me and Tinashe. When we started, it was a bit not okay to get along, but with time, we developed an understanding because we could talk.”
Nyandoro and Nengomasha forged illustrious careers in the PSL, with the former helping Sundowns secure three league titles in the 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2013/14 seasons, respectively.
On the other hand, Nengomasha, now Caps United’s team manager, won various awards, including the prestigious PSL Footballer of the Year and the Players’ Player of the Season award in 2004 while at Chiefs.
Nyandoro continued, “We understood each other, and our energy combined so well. Just because we’re both winners at the end of the day, we didn’t want to lose. I can tell you something people don’t know. When I used to play against him or him against me at Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, if Tinashe lost, he wouldn’t talk to me. And if I lose, I won’t talk to him either.
“Then I would go straight to the dressing room. Maybe after the game or tomorrow, I’ll call and say, ‘Hey, bro, you did very well, keep it up.’ He also did the same thing.”
