In 2025, Washington Navaya was crowned the Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year and the country's top goalscorer after scoring 17 goals for his club, TelOne.
We have described it as "after scoring 17 goals" instead of "after plundering 17 goals" because the number of goals Navaya scored are so few to be described as plunder.
In fact, what is interesting in all this is that Navaya's total of 17 goals amounts to only half of the season's 34 matches.
Coincidentally, Zimbabwe's top goalscorers are finishing the season with 17 goals as evidenced by Tendai Ndoro in 2014, William Manhondo in 2022, Lynoth Chikuhwa in 2024 and now Navaya.
Only Nelson Mazivisa of Shabanie Mine went one better in 2012 when he finished the season with 18 goals.
The other Zimbabwean Golden Boot winners have been far much less impressive with Takunda Benhura scoring as little as 13 goals in 2023.
Rodrick Mutuma had 14 goals in 2011 while Leonard Tsipa scored only 11 goals when winning the Golden Boot in 2016 despite having scored 18 goals when claiming the same title in 2004.
Of the modern day generation, the only player to have scored more than 20 goals is the late Norman Maroto who grabbed 22 goals in 2010 with Gunners.
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Surprisingly, in the past, Zimbabwe had a proud striking tradition with the likes of the late Shacky Tauro, Maronga Nyangela, and Gift Mpariwa going over the 30-goal mark.
This was at a time when the then Super League was made up of only 12 teams and 22 games per season.
At one time, in one season, Moses Chunga plundered in 46 league and cup goals.
Today, Chunga even believes he scored more but claims there was no proper counting. “I was just scoring and they were counting. The journalists say I scored 46 goals but I think they did not count all of them,” joked Chunga.
We have also been told by those who were there that Peter Nyama plundered 62 goals in one season.
However, there is the argument that during the olden days cup match goals were also considered and not today when only league game goals count.
There is also the argument that the game has changed and defensive methods have improved greatly but so have striking tricks argues another section of football goers.
However, football analyst Admire Muhimeke says what has changed is the attitude of the players towards the game which has affected goal flow.
"Players of today do not have that passion for the game as compared to the olden generation.
Those people could spend extra time on the pitch after normal training sharpening their scoring power but not today," argues Muhimeke.
He added," Their focus was scoring goals and winning matches but today, the players are more into money than improving their own type of play."
Mwos coach Lloyd Mutasa admitted that something has gone wrong, saying coaches have a tough job in bringing back the good old days when strikers used to score goals at will.
"It will not be easy but we are doing our best to tell our strikers how it is done. Some of the chances that are being missed, you can't believe it," says Mutasa.
Some observers say one of the reasons why goals have disappeared from the scene is that Zimbabwe has abandoned junior football where youngsters competed for goals.
They argue that in the past Zimbabwe had a well structured junior league development programme which started from the Under 15 up to the Under 20
"In those days, youngsters used to play for fun and their basic and natural skills - including scoring - were developed without any pressure on them," argues former Kadoma United midfielder, Paul Tandi.
Tandi says it was during that transitional period that good strikers were identified and advised to concentrate on their prime job — scoring goals.
In addition, adds Tandi, each Premiership club also had a reserve side from where players graduated into the senior team after convincing the coaches that they were now mature enough for first team football.
"The good strikers were identified from an early age and their art was perfected as they grew," said Tandi.
This system, concludes Tandi, has been hacked to pieces.
However, the question remains ; Will ever again get our strikers scoring over 20 goals or they have lost their scoring boots ?
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