MANY young footballers in the country dream of one day playing football in Europe’s prestigious leagues like the English Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, to mention but a few.
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
But Karoi-born former Warriors forward Patrick Daka found himself playing professional football in the Unites States.
Not that it was his childhood dream. apart from wanting to become an engineer “of some sort”, he never thought he would one day establish himself on foreign land.
It was not until he met American missionaries Aaron Tredway and Justin Rivard who toured Zimbabwe that an opportunity to go to America presented itself.
And since then football was no longer a career but a mission for Daka who went on to thrust his name into the record books at Corban University and Charlotte Eagles in North Carolina.
Charlotte Eagles was a Christian-based professional team in the USL-PRO league, the second tier league in that country.
“I learnt a lot playing for Charlotte Eagles. Most of all, I learnt to appreciate my talents as gifts from above and using them was a way of thanking and worshipping the Lord. But above all, I learned football can be a tremendous tool to serve and uplift others,” Daka told Standardsport in an interview.
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That’s the reason why the 41-year-old former Darryn T and Amazulu star has remained in football despite attaining a number of university degrees.
Daka holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Accounting (Corban University) and another one in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as well as an MBA in Management from Corban.
“This is probably why I founded the Friendship Foundation for Zimbabwe, which uses soccer as a tool for youth empowerment in Zimbabwe, while providing philanthropy opportunities for young Americans and their families. We assist in fighting hunger and lack of clean water access in rural areas of Zimbabwe,” Daka added.
Currently, Daka serves as Charlotte Soccer Academy’s club technical director in charge of coaches’ education and player development. He also serves as one of the coaches and sits on the State of North Carolina’s technical committee.
Until last year, he also served as a match day analyst for the professional club.
As a player, Daka etched his name into Corban University record books scoring 106 goals and dishing out 48 assists, both highest scores of all time in the programme record books playing as a dynamic forward.
He also led the Charlotte to the USL PRO Championship four times in his seven-year professional career.
“I hold the scoring and assist records at Corban. It is very humbling for me when I think about it. I also became state athlete of the year in Oregon. I was the league’s MVP for three straight years. Nationally, I am in the top six of all-time scorers and assisters. Those records still stand,” Daka revealed.
Daka recalls how his journey began from the dormitory town of Chitungwiza.
“I have always loved football, but I never thought I would be a professional player. My desire was to be an engineer of some sort. I can mention a lot of people from high school coaches, to neighbours, and teammates who made me realise I had a talent and urged me to pursue that talent. I do not believe without good guidance I would have made it all the way to professional football and later on, the Zimbabwe Warriors,” he said.
He started off at Chitungwiza-based outfit called Marisa FC in Zengeza 3 before he moved to Zimoco FC in Division 3 and helped them gain promotion to Division 2 in the mid-1990s.
He passed through Boronia Farm FC, a Division One side on his way to Darryn T, then Arcadia United, Blackpool FC, Black Aces, CAPS United and Amazulu before leaving the country. Daka says he learnt the game there from legends like Edelbert Dinha, Wellington Shangiwa, Alois Bunjira — his peers during his schooling days.
Capped 16 times by the Warriors, he also has fond memories of his time with the national team.
“Every time I put on that national team jersey was surreal. It was all a learning process from the people around me. My roommate Abdul Karim gave me the best advice I will never forget during one of the national team camps. He told me never to let my success get in my head but to always work on improving my life and that’s what kept me until today.
“I was always in awe when the legends showed up for practices. Training with Francis Shonhai, Peter and Adam Ndlovu, Rabson Muchichwa, Kennedy Chihuri was an experience of a lifetime. I always sat in and listened to their stories and tried to soak in as much as I could,” he said
Daka runs soccer camps for schools, clubs, and underprivileged kids in rural areas in Zimbabwe. In Chitungwiza, he is helping Dreamers Academy run by former CAPS United player, Charles Manjera.
“I enjoy watching kids working towards realising their potential. In the years we have done this, a number of young players have managed to get college scholarships in the USA. Hopefully, after college they can continue playing professionally elsewhere but at least they now have a foundation from where to build their lives,” Daka said.
Based in Charlotte with wife Blessed, Daka, an audit manager at one of the big banks in the city, has two sons, Sean Tendai (18) and Henry Themba (3). He visits the country every year to work on his projects.
His oldest son Sean is already part of the Charlotte Academy.
At the moment Daka is working on getting fully licensed in coaching badges.
