I feared no one: Carlos Max
By Lovemore Dube
“I would rather had Fanuel Ncube or Carlos Max in my team. They were two committed defenders you could count on. You beat them and you think they are on the ground, next thing he is panting behind your ears for another tackle,” this was the description by a soccer fan in a taxi to Sauerstown.
Ncube played for Highlanders and swept silverware on the local scene as part of the Bosso side of the first decade of independent Zimbabwe. Max rates among the most decorated players from Arcadia having collected silverware with Caps United and Dynamos.
His career however started at Arcadia United one of the country’s most decorated clubs of the pre-Independence era.
Max played for Arcadia as a youngster, a side which had great stars like George Rollo, Bethal Salis, Antony Kambani, Majid Dhana, Hamid Dhana, Joey Antipas, Doorman Moodley, Stewart Gilbert among some of its great stars.
In an interview last week, the 59-year-old Max said during his career he feared no striker. His clubs he said used to take each match as it came and had no special treatment for any. He said the fanfare during his days was always great.
“When playing big teams the fanfare was always exciting and to me that was good enough to excel. Preparations were always the same,” said Max when asked about how they prepared for trips like to Bulawayo to face marauding strikers like Madinda Ndlovu, Peter Ndlovu, the late Adam Ndlovu, Tanny Banda, Tobias Mudyambanje, Gift Lunga and Dumisani Ngulube. Bulawayo trips were always a big problem for many teams because of strong opposition exerted by Saints’ Joseph Machingura, Obey Sova, George Ayibu, Agent Sawu, Shayne Khamal and Richard Ndlovu and Eagles’ Rahman Gumbo, Boy Ndlovu and Victor Moonsammy. Big games as always were self-motivating.
“That’s why I think I succeeded in local football because the local big games were itself a big incentive, supporters only remember your performances against big teams not the small ones,” said Max.
Max revels in that he played for big clubs in Caps United and Dynamos. So at the peak of his career he had left Arcadia and played for Harare’s big two.
He remembers one tie against Highlanders where he out did troublesome Madinda in the corner and fans were not happy and objects rained on the pitch.
“Supporters were not happy and started pelting me with objects,” said the former Warriors defender who played on either flank.
Max said playing Highlanders on itself subjected them super hype mode. One had to be at his best, he said.
He said there were no strikers during his days that gave him a torrid time on the pitch. At Caps United he won several pieces of silverware but his big break was at the country’s biggest club, Dynamos. There he won the league title and that went with playing in Africa.
Max’s league title was in 1995. He is among former club legends Charlie Jones, Shaun Charters eager to see Arcadia return to the top. The club has a Division Two franchise. The Sunday News
