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Marvelous Nakamba being unveiled as a Club Brugge player

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN international midfielder Marvelous Nakamba who was signed for close to $4 million by top Belgian side Club Brugge has already been compared to the club’s legendary 40-year-old defensive midfielder, Timmy Simons.

Simons  played as a defensive midfielder and is known for his tireless work ethic and penalty-taking ability, having scored 48 competitive goals through the spot missing only five.

“New Simons comes from Zimbabwe”: screamed the headline from De Standard newspaper which also revealed that the former Bantu Rovers junior player was captured from Netherlands side Vitesse for a fee of about $4 million in a four- year deal.

“A number six, a replacement for Timmy Simons, sure to be added,”  Club Brugge chief executive officer Vincent Mannaert told De Standard newspaper.

Nakamba, the son of former Hwange goalkeeper Anthony, passed his medicals at the club on Tuesday and will now join Zimbabwe’s elite footballers to play in Europe’s club competition who include legendary goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, Kennedy Chihuri, Norman Mapeza, Costa Nhamoinesu and Musa Mguni.

“Nakamba passed medical examinations. Marvelous Nakamba signed this afternoon after successfully completing his medical and physical tests, a contract for 4 years at Blue-Black. We welcome Marvelous to Bruges,” the club wrote on its website.

Club Brugge also described Nakamba as an “energetic midfielder with quality passing and impressive power in duels”.

The 23-year-old midfielder who was in the last year of a four-year contract at Dutch topflight side Vitesse, cut short his holiday and left Bulawayo for Belgium on Sunday to seal the deal.

He had also been linked to English Premier League side Everton, Turkish giants Galatasaray and top German sides Hamburger SV and Wolfsburg.

In his final season at Vitesse, Nakamba won admiration from the club’s fans, who voted him their second best player of the season.

Nakamba established himself as a vital player at the Dutch outfit and won his first silverware in Europe when Vitesse collected a major trophy for the first time in their 125-year history by beating AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Cup final.

He will now play in the Uefa Champions League next season with Club Brugge.

@skhumoyo2000