Zambia's 33 Best Footballers of All Time.

I am embarking on a very difficult task of analysing Zambia's best footballers of all time. This is a difficult and dodgy exercise as every living person in Zambia has an opinion about soccer. This is as it should be and is very healthy. Each segment of traditional soccer formation will be discussed separatley i.e 10 Defenders, 10 midfielders, 10 strikers and only 3 goalkeepers. The main criteria is one's contributions to the Zambia National Team. Flash-in-the-Pan players, however exciting, do not unfortunately make this list. Here goes....

Top 10 Defenders
10. Kapambwe Mulenga : He was the best left back of his era. He won back-to-back League championships with Nkana Football Club. His reputation for no nonsense tackling drew comparisons with the famous Italian defender Gentile. Any little boying who made a successful tackle playing chimpombwa called themselves "Gentile" in apparent refernce to Kapambwe Mulenga.
9. Ashios Melu : Having started off as a centre forward both for Zambia and Mufulira Wanderes, Melu later converted to a solid centre half. His defensive displays for Zambia were remarkable. He remains one of the best ever dead ball specialists in the Zambian game.
8. Jones Chilengi : The lanky centre half was a real leader of men. He was captain of the Zambia National Team and Green Buffaloes Football Club for most parts of the 80s. He formed an impregnable fortress in the heart of the Zambian defence with John "Butcher" Mwanza/ Fighton Simukonda.
7. Edwin Mbaso : He was the enduring Zambian full back who shone brightly at the 1974 Nations Cup Final. He went on to win many more caps under the tutelege of the Yugoslavian mentor Ante Buselic.
6. Dickson Makwaza : Another veteran of the Zambia 1974 Nations Cup side with a reputation for solid defending. His pairing with Dick Chama in the Zambian defence became a stuff of legends in the 70s.
5. Kaiser Kalambo : The diminutive Zambian full back had a long international career. He was a hard nut to crack and a firm favourite of the die hard Zambian fans.
4. Elijah Tana : He has been the mainstay and the pillar on which the current Zambian squard rests. He is good in the air and on the tackle. He is also good in dead ball situations.
3. Ackim Musenge : Another veteran of the invincible Zambian team of the mid - 70s and Mufulira Wanderes. Definitely one of the super class of Zambian defenders.
2. Robert Watyakeni : My favourite Zambian defender of all time. He had all the attributes of a top defender. He was especially comfortable on the ball. He may not have had a lond international career but immediately he played his first senior game there was no doubting the fact that the centre-half position was his for life.
1. Dick Chama - The greatest Zambian defender of all time and a real leader of arguably Zambia's best national team (the 1974 team)