Again, Teenage Hadebe dazzles in Turkey

By Fungai Muderere

For the second time since he signed for Turkey side Yeni Malatyaspor five months ago, Zimbabwe international defender, Teenage “Manero” Hadebe, was named among the best 11 performers in the Turkish’s top flight league after last weekend games.

This followed his five star performance when they beat Bekistas 0-2 in a match where the 24-year-old Zimbabwe towering defender got a rating of 7,6.

Hadebe stormed into the Turkish team of the week together with his defence partner Arturo Mina, an Ecuador international.

Hadebe’s first similar achievement was in August after he played a blinder when Malatyaspor beat Istanbul Basak 3-0, in the opening fixtures of the highly rated Turkish league.

He reportedly capped his breathtaking performance with a last minute assist for his club’s third goal that was scored by Cote D’Ivoire’s Moryke Fofana.

“After that week-long ordeal, in which I battled to get a new passport to fly back to my base in Turkey, making it into the Turkish team of the week for the second time after joining Yeni Malatyaspor has further boosted my confidence . . . Inkosi ivumile. I am also happy that after experiencing a challenge of getting a new passport, my teammates and club bosses proved to be very supportive,” said then former Highlanders, Chicken Inn and Bantu Rovers player in an interview from Malatya, Turkey.

Since tracking back to Turkey after the recent international football break, the player, who was holed up in Bulawayo for over a week waiting for a new passport after the one he was using ran out of pages, has made three starts for his club.

“I’m still learning a lot in Turkey. It’s a professional setup, but all these achievements have come through hard work and I’m happy that my efforts are being recognised. I will keep on working hard. I have only missed one match since I came back from national team duty because I was not feeling well,” said the Makokoba-bred star. B-Metro