EVERYONE can remember and appreciate the prowess of the likes of Kalusha Bwalya, Tenant Chilumba, Johnson Bwalya and Davies Phiri during their heydays in Zambia’s football circles, and their achievements that have gone beyond warrant.
But it is more of a task to identify with pin-point precision the type of footballer and impact a young Kalusha or Chilumba or any existing star would project to be in the future.
In modern football, there is always a litany of starlets waiting for their chance to explode onto the world of soccer. Some may crash and burn before the dream becomes a reality, while others will seize the opportunity and ride to the top.
With the Chipolopolo triumphing at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Gabon, Zambia’s football has come under the global spotlight with players like Emmanuel Mayuka and Stoppila Sunzu breaking into the European leagues in England and France, respectively, while Chisamba Lungu is making his mark in the Russian top-flight soccer league.
In view of these developments, Zambia’s football ranks and files are in dire need of youngsters to step up their game for future prospects.
A good thing then is that Zambia has plenty of talent in the youngsters. Young ones are ready and determined to rise to the occasion when called upon as they have the potential to achieve positive results like the 1994 and 2012 teams did for the country.
In Senanga District of Zambia’s Western Province is a 16-year-old talented forward Mike Bisesa, who is another teenager emerging as a potential star in the making for the country.
“My passion for football is driven by my dream of representing Zambia at international tournaments and every time I step on the pitch, I always carry the dream with me,” Bisesa says.
Bisesa, currently playing for the Division Two side Senanga Warriors, has enjoyed successful soccer seasons in the Western Province league in a cameo role for the Warriors and looks set to continue his assault this year and beyond.
“A thousand miles’ journey begins with one step,” so says a famous Chinese proverb. Bisesa’s football background is the street game but the first and probably important step he made into his long soccer journey was in 2009 when he joined Warriors at the age of 11.
His dream has always been to play for the national team but at that time, little did he know that the dream would be a reality five years later.
True to life experiences, the 16-year-old is in the Under-17 national team that is currently in camp shaping up for the Niger 2015 Africa Cup second round qualifier match against Botswana.
He has made a giant leap to achieving his dream, thanks to the Airtel Rising Stars (ARS) programme that seeks to discover football talent in young ones from all corners of the country.
During the 2014 edition of the ARS trials district and provincial trials, Bisesa caught the eye of Under-17 coach Chris Kaunda, who did not hesitate to draft the youngster into the squad upon seeing his quality and skill.
Kaunda knew very well that he had a shining star on his hands after the youngster excelled during the trials, and would not let go of them.
“Getting this far has not been easy for me but it’s something that calls for hard work and commitment, I have always been training hard in order to get into the Under-17 team and I am happy that my efforts are paying dividends,” he says. “The coming of the Airtel Rising Stars trials was a dream come-true for me and I had to seize the opportunity of breaking into the national team.”
Seeing him play the training sessions, Bisesa is fast becoming one of the biggest talents in the country’s football circles and has already been earmarked as a potential Chipolopolo star.
He follows in the footsteps of Zambia’s tried-and-tested recipe of prolific forwards Collins Mbesuma and Jacob Mulenga, who rose to stardom with the Under-17 squad, being the first step, and it won’t be long before Bisesa becomes one of Chipolopolo’s hottest properties.
The budding star is vying for his first appearance in national colours and looks set to establish himself in the young Chipolopolo first team, and fans will be hoping to see more of him in action.
So far, he has shown flashes of his brilliance on the stage that the Airtel company in conjunction with the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has to offer at an early level, and it remains to be seen if his brilliance can translate into positive outcomes on the junior AFCON stage where practically every facet of the game is many levels better.
Bisesa is a prolific striker as he showed his worth during the ARS trials but from the technical point of view, he has loads of room for development, but needless to say this Senanga-based player is a great revelation.
“My bigger dream is to play in the Spanish La Liga when I grow up, just like my role model Argentine forward Angel Di Maria, who plies his trade for the Spanish giants Real Madrid,” Bisesa says.
“My task now is to work extra hard to impress the Under-17 technical bench and geared to fight for my permanent place in the team because I know my capabilities on the pitch and I have to utilise this opportunity to bring out the best in me,” he says.
Indeed, the doors to success are always open for those who strive to get to the top and only hard work, resilience and discipline will propel this youngster to greater heights.
Besides football, the ex-Matauke Secondary School pupil hopes to pursue a professional career in Medicine at the University of Zambia (UNZA), having obtained a full certificate in the school-leaving examinations he sat for last year.
Bisesa is just one of the many young aspiring soccer stars from the remote parts of Zambia who are realising their football dreams through the ARS talent identification programme.
With this initiate in full swing, the future of the country’s national team is bright.
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