Godfrey Chitalu

Godfrey Chitalu (22 October 1947 – 27 April 1993), nicknamed Ucar, was a Zambian footballer who played as a forward.

He is widely regarded as the greatest Zambian player of all time as he holds his national team's goalscoring record and was voted Zambian footballer of the year five times.

He began his formal education at Makoma Primary School in 1954 and managed to get a place in the school team at the age of 10.

Shortly afterwards, he was surprised when the Recreation Officer, Bennie Evans, invited him to Fisansa Youth Club for a trial after which he started playing for the team as a centre-forward.

He passed this trial and joined several other young talents, including another Zambian international, Willie Chifita.

The youth club would often compete in the small league for boys in the town which was formed by Bennie Evans.

At one point the league had 99 affiliated teams.

Fisansa were often pitted against other youth clubs in Luanshya.

This is how Godfrey came across Boniface Simutowe, an all-round midfielder who was a great attacking threat and even played in goal on some occasions.

Names such as Sandy Kaposa, Happy Malama, Dyson Mugala, Kenny Bnda and Henry Kasongo.

Even though competition was stiff, Chitalu got into the under-15 district team, and travelled to Bulawayo with the squad in 1958 as a reserve player and also took part in boxing.

In 1959 he got a transfer to Kawama School in Kitwe where he switched his position to inside-left and became a regular first team player.

While at Kawama School, he joined the Kwacha I Community Centre team where he played at centre-forward.

This is where he met future Kitwe United teammates Lameck Soko, Stephen Musonda and Winston Muamba.

During his 3 years at the centre, Kwacha I remained champions in Kitwe District.

Chitalu's talent was noticed by a club trainer called Tirivavi, who encouraged him to concentrate on playing football and forget about boxing so he hung up his gloves conditioned too by the fact that not many boys of his age were interested in the sport.

In 1961, he completed his primary education and left Kitwe.

He went to stay with his elder brother Stanley in Chingola and continued his studies at Mushishima Secondary School and played for the school team at inside-left.

He was forced to drop out of school in 1964 four months before his junior secondary school examinations when Stanley lost his job and with no one to pay his school fees, he returned to Kitwe and Kwacha I.

Kitwe United United captain and Zambian international Emment Kapengwe watched him play for Kwacha I and advised him to try out for a Division I team, where he was sure Chitalu would make the grade so he ended up joining Kitwe's reserves upon being invited by club chairman Jethro Ngwane who was looking for young talent for his team.

Late in 1964, Chitalu came to the attention of Zambian National Football League Division 1 side Kitwe United.

Their chairman, Jethro Ngwane, was on the lookout for young, promising players for his team.

During one of his many trips, to watch community matches, Jehtro spotted Godfrey, who had a great eye for goal and he sensed that he had a great eye for goal.

Jethro invited him to Buchi Stadium, where joined the reserve team.

In 1965 Chitalu spent most of the season in the reserves and was promoted to the first team at the end of the season.

It wasn't until October 1965, in the final game of the season, he broke into the first team.

The Football Association of Zambia claimed that Chitalu scored more than 100 goals in all competitions in 1972, more than Gerd Müller's total in the same year and Lionel Messi's total in 2012, both of which are often referred to by journalist as "world records".

Upon retirement, Chitalu took to coaching and was in charge of the Zambia national team when the entire squad perished in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon on 27 April 1993.

Godfrey Kangwa Chitalu was born in Luanshya, on the Copperbelt Province, where his father Lucian Chitalu worked as a miner and also served as a Local Court Justice, while his mother Emeriah Chitalu was a housewife.

He grew up in Section 9 of Roan Mine Township with 9 siblings, Godfrey was the seventh to be born.

This is also where he played youth football barefoot, on the streets of the township as well as the numerous community grounds.

Matches would take place between the different sections of the mine township.

Buttons would be the main prize for winners, but instead, on some occasions money would be the price.

This is where some games would end in fistfights, between the opposing teams.

Chitalu loved playing football, but the rough nature of the games meant that he suffered from many injuries.

Some of these injuries would include a broken arm, which would be broken more times in the future.

At times, when he was in hospital, he would escape and go and play football with his friends.

In 2006, he was selected by CAF as one of the best 200 African footballers of the past 50 years.

The research was presented in the year 2012 after Lionel Messi broke the alleged world record of Gerd Müller.

Nevertheless, a FIFA spokesman declared that an official FIFA world record had never existed as they did not keep track of domestic competitions.