BY DANIEL NHAKANISO ZIMBABWE senior national women’s football team captain Emmaculate Msipa is set to continue her career in Europe after sealing a deal to move to Turkish Super League side Fatih Karagümrük AS from Spanish club CF Joventut Almassora.
The 29-year-old Mighty Warriors star, who captained the national side in the recent Cosafa Women’s Championship and the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifiers, got her first taste of European football after spending part of last season in the second tier of Spanish women’s professional football.
The move to Spain made her the second Zimbabwean female player to be signed by a European club after teammate Rutendo Makore’s six-month stint at Sporting De Huelva in 2018.
Msipa, however, initially struggled to settle in Spain and returned home prematurely in September, after her Spanish club CF Joventut Almassora’s plan to loan her to Belarus Premier League team, Dinamo Minsk hit a brick wall as the transfer window closed, leaving her stranded.
After enduring an unsuccessful stint in Spain’s Segunda Division Feminina with Joventut Almassora, Msipa will be hoping to make an impact after becoming the first local female player to join the Turkish club.
Fatih Karagümrük AS confirmed Msipa’s arrival along with that of several new signings in a post on their official social media platforms.
The Turkish side, which also has a men’s side in the Turkish Super Lig, recently announced the formation of a women’s football team in the Women’s Super League which makes Msipa one of the pioneering players in the team.
The Istanbul side will be led by Bahar Özgüvenç, who won the championship with Beşiktaş women’s football team last season.
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Msipa won the Zimbabwe Women’s Soccer League Golden Boot before capping off the season on a high by winning the prestigious Footballers Union of Zimbabwe Women’s Player of the Year award in 2019.
The striker has been part of the Mighty Warriors since 2010, representing the country in several international competitions such as AWCON, All Africa Games, and the Cosafa Women’s Championships.
However, the major highlight of her career was representing Zimbabwe at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she scored an important goal against Australia.
- Follow Daniel on Twitter @danielnhakaniso
