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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE international Teenage Hadebe completed his American return last month, nine years after his first visit as a junior player when he participated in the prestigious Dallas Cup.

Then, Hadebe was part of Bantu Rovers’ Under-18 squad that took part in the oldest international youth football tournament in the United States.

In that Bantu Rovers’ squad were, among others, Warriors and Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, who is arguably the most successful from that group, Kudakwashe Mahachi and Nqobizitha Masuku.

Nakamba was snapped up by French side AS Nancy after the Dallas Cup and spent a couple of his development years in France before moving to SBV Vitesse in the Netherlands.

He then moved to Belgium before finding a home at Aston Villa at the beginning of the 2019/20 season.

Mahachi reportedly snubbed a move to Brazil, with reports from the Rovers’ camp saying the player felt South America was far, but later got a break when South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns signed him.

He finally settled at Supersport United after stints with Golden Arrows and Soweto giants Orlando Pirates.

Masuku, who captained the Dallas Cup team, went on to feature for FC Platinum, Buildcon in Zambia and is in the books of Highlanders.

Hadebe wasn’t a skilful player in the Rovers’ squad and neither was he a talented defender, but was a fighter.

Bred in Makokoba, a suburb that gifted Zimbabwe with arguably the country’s best footballing siblings Madinda, Adam (late) and Peter Ndlovu, Zenzo Moyo, the late defender Lenny Gwata and Netsai Moyo, among others, Hadebe’s rise has taken the “notorious” suburb’s flag to the world.

Madinda played in Germany, Adam played in Switzerland and Peter is the first African footballer to play in the modern English Premier League while Zenzo had stints in Cyprus and Greece.

By his own admission, these celebrated former footballers, the environment he grew up in and seeing his late mother toil selling vegetables to supplement his father’s income, inspired Hadebe to work hard to make a rewarding career out of football.

Hadebe kept on improving with every game and his determination has finally paid off, with him making a dream move to America to join Houston Dynamo in a deal worth about US$1,65 million.

“It’s no surprise that Hadebe is in the US because he has always been a hard worker throughout his career. I remember when we were at Bantu Rovers, he used to come early for training and we had one-on-one sessions to perfect his ball control before the rest of the players came for training,” said Mandla Mpofu, who coached Rovers during Hadebe’s time at the club.

“We did this after realising that most of the times he won duels, but would either make stray passes or fail to control the ball. The sessions were meant to improve his confidence on the ball, which we achieved. I believe Teenage is a clear example of how dedication and discipline can help one achieve his goals.”

Hadebe returned to his childhood club Highlanders in 2015 before being snapped up by Chicken Inn the following season where he won the league championship.

His ever-improving performances caught the eye of South African giants Kaizer Chiefs, who signed him in 2017.

By then, Hadebe was a senior national team regular.

After two years with Amakhosi in South Africa, Hadebe moved to Yeni Malatyaspor in the Turkey topflight and helped them survive relegation.

It was his strong ending to the 2020/2021 season that raised the interest of a number of clubs but Hadebe chose Houston Dynamo to complete his return to America after close to a decade.

For the Zimbabwean international, who joins a list of fellow countrymen that graced America’s Major League Soccer (MLS) such as Mkhokheli Dube, Mubariki Chisoni, Vitalis Takawira, Lucky Mkhosana and Joseph Ngwenya, moving to Houston Dynamo was in the best interest of his family.

“To be honest, first of all my agent asked me if I wanted to play in America. I asked him to give me some time. You know, you don’t have to say yes there and then. You must take your time to go and talk to the family.

“I then spoke to my wife. You know in Turkey sometimes they don’t speak English so my wife and I agreed that it was better for me to come to America, so that our kids can go to good schools. You know in America, life is good, you speak English and I’m sure my kids are looking forward to learning everything,” Hadebe said.

What the Zimbabwean defender didn’t reveal is that life in Turkey wasn’t as rosy as he portrayed it to be, with close friends telling Chronicle Sport that “at times he sometimes went for months without being paid” and yet he held on.

“Teenage has a big heart. He knew why he was in Europe and knew that being in Turkey enhanced his chances of getting a major break and the break came through a move to the US. I’d say the last two years in Turkey made him stronger mentally, emotionally and physically. If he was someone weak, he would have quit Turkey and returned home or to South Africa, but he hung on and now he’s in the States.

“He is happy and grateful for the opportunity in Turkey; he is happy that his family’s future has been secured through this move. What only pains him is that his mother isn’t around to see his achievements, but knowing that his mum is watching him from the other side, spurs him on,” said Hadebe’s friend.

Contacted for comment on how he is settling in the States, Hadebe said the club’s policy restricts him from conducting interviews without permission. – @ZililoR