Miguel Chaiwa, stole the show on his full Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) debut yesterday, despite Zambia’s 1-0 defeat to Morocco.
Chaiwa’s impressive performance has not only won him plaudits from fans across social media but also garnered recognition from the highest office in the land, with President Hakainde Hichilema himself taking to Facebook to praise the youngster.
Chaiwa, who plays for Swiss side Young Boys, was handed a start by coach Avram Grant, who assigned him to break up play in the midfield against Africa’s top-ranked team.
Chaiwa was initially not part of the squad, with Avram Grant saying he left him out for the World Cup qualifiers against Congo Brazzaville and Niger last year because he was not playing
“I will ask you, did you see him playing last year? How many people saw him playing last year with the Young Boys? Do you know how many games he played? Grant asked in November last year.
The former Chelsea FC gaffer continued: “[He played] one game in the league and two games as a substitute in the Champions League. So I need to take players that are good in their club and play regularly or not regularly but are good for their club.”
This was despite Chaiwa becoming the youngest Zambian to play in the UEFA Champions League at 19 years, 5 months, and 27 days old since its rebrand when he was introduced as a substitute in BSC Young Boys’ 2-2 draw with Red Star Belgrade, playing the last 16 minutes of the game.
However, Chaiwa didn’t disappoint at the Afcon. He looked composed and assured in the heart of midfield, breaking up play with ease and showing a maturity that belied his age. His passing was also impressive, managing to stitch 30 accurate passes from an attempted 38.
His performance was all the more remarkable, given the tough opposition he was facing. Morocco, the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists, were always going to be a difficult test for a team like Zambia, but the young midfielder never looked overawed.
Chaiwa earns Zambian president’s accolade
The praise for Chaiwa has been pouring in on social media, with fans quick to hail him as a future star. His name is trending both on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter in Zambia, and many fans are calling for him to be given a regular starting spot in the national team going forward.
Perhaps the most significant praise, however, came from President Hichilema. The president, a keen football fan himself, took to Facebook to post a picture of Chaiwa in action along with a caption of clapping hands and an okay/awesome emoji.
Given his performance, Chaiwa is likely to cement his place in the team ahead of future international engagements like the World Cup qualifiers and the 2025 AfCON qualifiers.
Chipolopolo will now shift focus to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, set to resume in June.
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They will travel to Morocco for their third qualifier on June 5, 2024, after defeating Congo Brazaville 4-2 and losing 2-1 to Niger last year.
Zambia is in Group E alongside Morocco, Niger, Tanzania, and Congo Brazzaville.
