Zambian football icon Kennedy Mweene announced his decision to retire from active football on Monday. The former Chipolopolo shot-stopper revealed to Bolanews that he was stepping away from the pitch two decades after his debut.
His collection of silverware and achievements on and off the pitch put him up there with the greatest African goalkeepers. Alongside the 2012 AFCON title, the 38-year-old has also amassed a CAF Champions League and eight PSL titles, among others.
Mweene has produced a lot of memorable displays throughout the years for his national team and club sides. One such performance was in a 2018 club friendly for Mamelodi against a star-studded FC Barcelona outfit in Johannesburg.
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The Catalan side was running away with a two-goal lead at the hour mark courtesy of early goals from Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele. Mweene was introduced from the bench in the 66th minute of the encounter, and so was FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi at 74 minutes.
Spectators were excited to see the Argentine step onto the pitch and witness his goal-scoring exploits unfold. However, Mweene was a match for the diminutive playmaker on the night.
Messi created a couple of chances for his teammates before he unleashed a ferocious strike that looked destined for the net. But Mweene came out on top as he took the fire out of the shot and collected the ball with both hands.
Mweene denied Messi a chance to get on the scoresheet. This was just after a season in which the Argentine scored 45 goals for FC Barcelona.
Mweene will now serve as a member of Rhulani Mokwena’s technical team for Mamelodi Sundowns FC following his retirement.
