Knowledge Musona’s scintillating goal-scoring form for Scottland FC is a deeply worrying indictment of the state of Zimbabwean football.
While the "Smiling Assassin" deserves every bit of praise for his enduring class, his seamless dominance in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League after a gruelling 16-year career across South Africa, Germany, Belgium and Saudi Arabia exposes a troubling reality. Local football is suffering from a severe generational drought, raising the critical question of where the next crop of talent is to carry the baton.
Musona, who celebrates his 36th birthday this Sunday, is one of the hottest properties in the local top flight.
His recent explosive form, including a second brace in three matches and goals in five consecutive games, has taken his season tally to seven in 18 appearances. He sits joint fourth in the Golden Boot race alongside his 35-year-old teammate, Khama Billiat.
A closer look at the league's leading goalscorers reveals an alarming trend for a nation that once exported prodigies.
Herentals striker Ralph Kawondera, 35, leads the scoring charts with nine goals, followed by Dynamos' 23-year-old Ghanaian import Frank Agyemang and Hardrock's Washington Navaya, 28, on eight goals each. Behind them are Musona and Billiat, both 35, and Jairos Kasondo, 32.
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Of the six leading scorers in the country, Agyemang is the only player under 25. The rest are either approaching or well past 30, with three of the top five already aged 35.
Musona is a proud product of the famed Aces Youth Soccer Academy in Harare, a structured and intentional talent pipeline that prepared him for the international stage at a young age.
His dominance suggests that the domestic football system has largely lost its capacity to produce players of similar quality.
Many clubs and academies appear to have shifted away from player development, turning the Premier Soccer League into a competition where veterans thrive on experience while younger players struggle to make a meaningful impact.
Emerging local forwards are failing to challenge defenders consistently, often lacking the tactical awareness, movement and clinical finishing instincts demonstrated weekly by players in the twilight of their careers.
The heavy reliance on ageing veterans may deliver short-term results, but it places the entire football ecosystem at risk. National team succession planning stagnates when the domestic league fails to produce young, international-calibre talent.
Moreover, clubs that invest heavily in ageing stars undermine their own financial sustainability. European and top African scouts are not scouting for 35-year-olds, meaning clubs miss out on valuable transfer revenue that could be reinvested in development structures.
Desperate for goals, clubs are increasingly turning to imports such as Agyemang. While there is nothing wrong with recruiting quality players, an overreliance on imports creates a dangerous cycle that limits opportunities for local youngsters and weakens the talent pool available for national selection.
If Zimbabwean football is to overcome this generational crisis, Zifa and the Premier Soccer League must implement structural reforms without delay.
The league should consider introducing regulations that require clubs to register and provide meaningful game time to Under-20 players. Equally important, club licensing requirements should strictly enforce the establishment and maintenance of functional junior development structures.
Such measures encourage clubs and academies to focus on producing elite talent rather than merely participating in youth tournaments.
Musona's brilliance remains a joy to watch. Yet beyond the goals and nostalgia, his continued dominance should serve as a stark warning.
If 35-year-olds remain the benchmark of excellence in Zimbabwe's domestic game, then the future of Zimbabwean football is in serious jeopardy.