Goal takes a look at the career of Zimbabwean defender Costa Nhamoinesu…
Kerala Blasters may have lost their rock at the back Sandesh Jhingan but Kibu Vicuna has replaced the Indian defender with a foreigner from Zimbabwe – 34-year-old Costa Nhamoinesu.
The left-footed defender, who is over six feet tall, will hope to hit the ground running when Blasters take on ATK Mohun Bagan on November 20 in the opening game of the seventh season of Indian Super League (ISL).
Jersey Number: 26
Youth Career and Professional Debut
Costa started playing football during his middle school at Harare. He started his career with Zimbabwean club Ama Zulu before joining Masvingo United.
Turning Point
After impressing for Masvingo, he signed for Polish club Zaglebie Lubin and managed to be a first-team player at the club for four years. In 2013, his displays caught the eye of Czech Republic club Sparta Prague and that was the turning point of Costa’s career.
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Costa spent seven seasons at the club and was the first African to captain the club. He has more than 200 appearances for the team and has chipped in with 16 goals from the back during his long stay. He has won the Czech league and a Super Cup once and domestic cup competition twice.
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International Record
Costa has played for the Zimbabwe national team but has only managed a few appearances.Costa Nhamoinesu involved in the infamous Asia-gate scandal where quite a few Zimbabwean footballers were accused of collaborating to match fix the national team’s games for a betting syndicate in Asia in 2009.
In 2012, he was exonerated from the lifetime ban imposed on those involved in the scandal. He scored his first and only international goal in 2017 against Eswatini and that was also the last time he played for Zimbabwe.
Last Stint
Costa played out his seventh and final year at Sparta Prague in the 2019-20 season. He was an unused substitute on the bench a few months ago as the team lifted the domestic cup trophy. Last season, he played nine league matches and scored one goal.
