By Veronica Gwaze

THE year is 1993 and a young Joel Luphahla has just completed his Ordinary Level at Gifford High School in Bulawayo.

Like most of his classmates at the time, he is determined to relocate to South Africa in search of greener pastures.

Since he did not have a passport or any travel document, his family engaged a “malayitsha” to ferry him from Tsholotsho to Johannesburg.

The 12-hour journey was full of promise for the youthful Luphahla as he pictured a bright future and big plans ahead.

However, that excitement quickly turned to despair as he failed to last in the neighbouring country.

Luphahla was deported barely two days after arrival.

Getting back home, the dejected youngster decided to focus on playing football instead.

That football journey, in retrospect, turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Luphahla, who would start off plying his trade in Division Two with Madonna FC in Tsholotsho.

This was a rather convenient starting point as he stayed there with his paternal grandparents.

A few months later, he was spotted by the former Education Minister, Cain Mathema, who then alerted the late coach Rahman Gumbo of the potential he had seen.

Gumbo, who was with Highlanders at the time, took him under his wing.

Sadly, the young boy from rural Tsholotsho failed to fit in; he trained with the team for only two days before fleeing from camp and returning to Matabeleland North.

“I felt that I socially did not belong there.

“I was surrounded by massive talent and big names that I only knew from television and radio.

“I lacked confidence,” chuckled Luphahla, who now mentors PSL champions Simba Bhora.

“After that, Ronald Sibanda, a mate I knew from Lobengula, got in touch with me and took me to Zimbabwe Saints.

“Zim Saints felt like a better home for me. I knew some of the people there personally, so it was easy to adapt,” he said.

The Zimbabwe Saints contract marked the lanky former midfielder’s professional football journey, one that would lead him to greener pastures, earn him national team call-ups and the nickname “Dubai”.

The Warriors were set to face Nigeria in 1999, before airports had stringent security protocols.

In Kenya, while in transit, Luphahla went off shopping and got separated from his team. When he returned, his teammates were already on their connecting flight.

Inexplicably, he found himself settled into a seat (number 9) on a Dubai-bound plane.

It was only when the rightful occupant of the seat asked him to move that the authorities realised the error — he was on the wrong plane.

Even now, he struggles to understand how he ended up on that flight.

This mishap prompted veteran football commentator Charles “CNN” Mabika to give Luphahla the nickname “Dubai”.

Like most signings at that time, his deal came with virtually no financial benefits.

However, Luphahla was content with the opportunity to play in the professional league and showcase his talent.

“Chauya Chikwata”, as the team was famously known, was arguably one of the best sides in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League around the 1980s and early 1990s.

Famous for its youth development, the club was later relegated to Division One, but remains home to some of the finest footballers to ever grace the Zimbabwe national team.

Agent Sawu, Muzondiwa Mugadza, Ronald Sibanda, Henry McKop, Ephraim Chawanda, Gibson Homela and Ebson “Sugar” Muguyo, among others, were all part of the trailblazing team at one point or another.

On his debut, Luphahla hogged the limelight, coming in as a substitute and scoring in the 32 minutes that he played.

Four months after showcasing the best he could with the ball at his feet, Bulawayo’s biggest club came knocking at his door again.

Luphahla found himself back in the same “Amahlolanyama” dressing room that he had fled a few months earlier.

This time, everything felt different as the budding star oozed confidence.

Memories are still fresh of the ecstasy he experienced when he received US$2 000 in signing-on fees.

“I had never held so much money in my hands,” he said.

“For someone of my age, it was a shock and I was not even sure how I would use it. I later decided to enact a precast wall at home, something that I still look at even now and smile.”

Sadly, as Luphahla excelled on the pitch, fame and attention crept in.He developed a mad love for fancy cars and partying.

His father, a disciplinarian of sorts, despised Luphahla’s chosen career and the lifestyle that came with it.

As a result, he never watched his matches and Luphahla, in turn, cared less and less, barely updating his father on what was happening in his football journey.

In 1999, without his father’s knowledge, he would travel to the capital, Harare, with Bosso for the Econet, Buddie first-year celebrations match at the National Sports Stadium.

His spectacular goal that day earned him a place on the back pages of local newspapers the following morning.

“My father only heard of the news from his mates the following day,” recalls the former Dynamos assistant coach.

“Getting home, he was in a celebratory mood and this was his turning point; from then, he became my biggest supporter.”

As if his father’s blessing was the key that would open doors for him, in 2000, he got a lucrative move to Cyprus.

Cyprus proved lucrative; he received a significant signing fee and started drawing a good salary.

Returning home that December, he bought three cars, in what he now considers as one of the worst decisions of his life.

It took former ZIFA vice president Gift Banda’s intervention for Luphahla to abandon life in the fast lane.

“In his exact words, he said, ‘Man, people do not care about your cars. You need to consider buying a home because cars will break down one day but houses don’t,’” he recalls.

Taking Banda’s sage advice, Luphahla bought his first house six months later.

It was a three-roomed house on a corner stand in one of the medium-density suburbs of Bulawayo.

A few months later, he bought his parents a seven-roomed house.

He also funded the construction of a big rural home for his parents and grandparents before investing in more properties in the City of Kings and Queens.

“I still recall the joy I saw on my parents’ faces that day; it gives me pride to this very day,” he said.

“I feel that players should understand their background and learn to utilise the opportunities that come to upgrade their lives.

“It is important to be able to contain the attention that comes with being a professional footballer. I almost lost myself before Banda rescued me.

“Discipline is key; it lures endorsement deals as corporates value it above everything.”

Now a CAF B coaching licence holder, Luphahla is constructing a “school of football” in Tsholotsho to rescue kids who find themselves in the same predicament.

At home, in Bulawayo, he is also into the dog breeding business.Right now, he is in Polokwane, South Africa, for a two-week preseason camp ahead of their PSL title defense campaign and CAF Champions League appearance.