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Ndlovu, insisting he is far from matching the legendary striker’s feats.
Since “King Peter” hung up his boots after a glittering career during which he led the Warriors to two African Cup of Nations finals in 2004 and 2006, Musona’s emergence on the national team scene has seen the 21-year-old striker being compared to Ndlovu.
Many in the domestic football family have argued that the TSG Hoffenheim striker is the heir to Peter’s throne and that he has scored half of the six goals for the Warriors in their current 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign has added weight to the arguments of those drawing comparisons between the King and the Prince.
What is not in doubt though is that Musona has emerged as the new Warriors talisman ever since he made his senior team debut last year and he also announced his arrival on the grand stage by scoring his first goal in the senior side’s opening Nations Cup qualifier against Liberia in Monrovia in September last year.
Musona was also an instant hit at South African Premiership giants Kaizer Chiefs and in just two seasons, he had done enough to charm both the club’s administration and fans and fired 28 goals in all competitions.
Although Peter did not play in South Africa in his early years the “Flying Elephant” having been shipped to the English top-flight league as a raw teenager where he burst into the Coventry City side and was hailed as the next George Best, Musona has become the first Zimbabwean to play in the German Bundesliga.
Musona’s switch from Chiefs to Hoffenheim has also been described as the biggest transfer deal that Amakhosi have had in the last six years.
But for all the buzz that has followed him ever since he marked his arrival on the Warriors stage and the sense that he is the next superstar, Musona maintains that he is yet to achieve anything big yet to warrant any comparisons with Ndlovu.
Musona told top-selling South African soccer magazine Kick Off that although he could not stop people from debating or comparing him with Peter, he did not regard himself in the class of the former Warriors skipper yet.
“I cannot stop people from making comparisons but I know that I am still very far from getting close to what Peter achieved in his career,” Musona said.
Musona also spoke to the same magazine about his dream move to Germany and his plans on being an exemplary professional.
“Would I be saying too much if I said I am living my dream right now?
“This is what I have always wanted and the fact that it is happening means I have to continue doing all the right things that got me here.
“It is essential that I continue to respect my job because being a professional player I have learnt that it is not only what you do on the field that matters… I also have to be careful about the life I live, especially now that I have moved to a country so far away from home.
“Moving to the (German) Bundesliga is a huge step for me, seeing that I only spent two years at Kaizer Chiefs after having spent two years at the academy (Aces Youth Academy) that played in the First Division back home in Zimbabwe.
“Going to Europe is a very big achievement and something that I have always been working towards but I am ready. I never expected things to happen the way they have happened but football is a short career and you must make use of every opportunity that comes your way.
“You grab the chance you get and then move on because there are always bigger things to be achieved. I believe you should never take your foot off the pedal until the day you retire,” Musona said.
The former Zimbabwe Under-17 captain also revealed his regret at having to leave Chiefs without winning a league championship with them and spoke about the new challenge he faces in trying to make an impact at Hoffenheim.
“The only thing that makes me sad about my stay at Chiefs is that we couldn’t win the league title in my time at the club.
“I think by what I did at Chiefs, I have only achieved a small part of what I wanted to do in my career. I am now faced with a fresh challenge where I will have to work extremely hard. “I am fully aware of how much I will have to put in at Hoffenheim. I am going to Germany to play and obviously along the way I will also have to learn, that is how I will gain experience. It makes no sense for me to be scared about who I might face because as far as I am concerned we are all human.
“I have to compete to the best of my abilities when I get the chance to play that is all that matters.”
He also said his former coaches at Kaizer Chiefs – Vladimir Vermezovic and Rainer Dinkelacker – had given him some tips about his new league.
“Dinkelacker is from Germany so he did advise me while VV told me that I must be careful as that league is very tough. He advised me to be very strong mentally and physically. I will need to have a thick skin and always be aware of what is happening around me.”
His departure from Chiefs has also left a big hole at the club but according to Kick Off it has been big business for Amakhosi Football Manager Bobby Motaung, who also recounted how they found Musona in Harare.
“We had been to Zimbabwe to look for a defender but during one of the curtain-raiser games, we spotted this gem of a player and didn’t hesitate to snap him up right away. Now he has come here and done his part and moved on,” Motaung said.
Musona also received another boost to his growing profile this week when world soccer governing body Fifa named him among a group of Africa’s finest young talent.