Willard Katsande

Willard Katsande (born 15 January 1986 in Mutoko, Mashonaland East Province) is a Zimbabwean professional footballer, who currently plays as a midfielder for Premier Soccer League club Kaizer Chiefs and for the Zimbabwe national team.[1][2]

Willard Katsande

Personal information
Full name	Willard Katsande
Date of birth	15 January 1986
Place of birth	Mutoko, Zimbabwe
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Central midfielder
Club information
Current team	Kaizer Chiefs
Number	31
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2005	Frontier Steel	36	(56)
2006–2007	Feruka	30	(19)
2007–2009	Highway	60	(18)
2009–2010	Gunners	15	(8)
2010–2011	Ajax Cape Town	15	(2)
2011–	Kaizer Chiefs	133	(34)
National team^‡
2009–	Zimbabwe	27	(7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 June 2016 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12:41, 21 January 2020 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Known as a midfield work-horse, Willard Katsande began his career playing for local lower division clubs in Zimbabwe such as Frontier Steel (2002–2005), Feruka (2006–2007) and a popular giant killing club from Mutare, called Highway (2007–2009) from where he was recruited to play for Gunners F.C. in Harare for the 2009–10 season.[3]

Gunners F.C.

At Gunners, Katsande made a huge contribution to the club's campaign in the CAF Champions League qualifiers. He was in irresistible form as the Gunners shocked African giants Al-Ahly 1–0 at Rufaro Stadium in the Champions League second round match before eventually bowing out on 2–1 aggregate, after losing the reverse encounter 2–0 in Cairo. The Gunners would however finish 1st in their league, clinching the title as Zimbabwean Premier League Champions for the 2009–10 season.[4]

Ajax Cape Town

Willard Katsande made his professional debut for Ajax Cape Town on 12 December 2010 in a 2–0 win against Mpumalanga Black Aces at Atlantic Stadium in Witbank. He was acquired by Ajax Cape Town in the summer of 2010 as a transfer from Zimbabwean club Gunners F.C., having left a lasting impression on the club by his earlier performance with the Gunners in the CAF Champions League qualifiers.[5][6]

Kaizer Chiefs

On 15 August 2011 it was announced that Willard Katsande had joined the Kaizer Chiefs, after Chiefs manager Bobby Motaung saw his performance, while attending an international friendly match between Zimbabwe and Zambia.[7] Katsande made his debut on 10 September 2011 in the MTN 8 final against Orlando Pirates coming in for Tshabalala in the 81st minute.[8][9] In his first 12 league matches for Chiefs, Katsande got 5 yellow cards.[10] Katsande won the Premier Soccer League and the Nedbank Cup in 2013 where he was the most booked player with 10 yellow cards including one red card.[11] Katsande scored a long range scorcher after taking a few steps off the centre line in a 4–1 win over Bloemfontein Celtic on 21 July 2013 with his fellow countryman Knowledge Musona scoring on debut.[12]

Katsande scored his first official goal on 15 March 2014 in the Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates, the same team he made his debut against, being a header in the 61st minute in a 1–0 win. He scored almost on the goal line and headed past Senzo Meyiwa. [13] Katsande was the biggest winner at the Kaizer Chiefs Awards on 21 May 2014. He won Players' Player of the Season, May Player of the Month, Fan Player of the Season and Online Player of the Season and Player of the Season awards. He pocketed R230 000 in total prize-money after taking home most of the Awards.[14] He scored his second official goal for Chiefs in a 2–1 win loss to Black Leopards in the Nedbank Cup on 21 March 2015, exactly 371 days after scoring his first.[15] He won the MTN8 and his second league title in 2014–15.

International career

Katsande was called up for national duty to represent Zimbabwe as of 2010, after his successful run with the Gunners, playing for the country's 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.[16]

Career statistics

Club

As of 22 June 2016.[17]

Statistics

Club	Season	League			National Cup[lower-alpha 1]		League Cup[lower-alpha 2]		Continental[lower-alpha 3]		Other[lower-alpha 4]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Kaizer Chiefs	2011–12[17]	Premier Soccer League	12	0	2	0	0	0	—		1	0	15	0
	2012–13[17]	Premier Soccer League	24	0	5	0	0	0	—		1	0	30	0
	2013–14[17]	Premier Soccer League	28	1	3	0	3	0	0	0	3	0	37	1
	2014–15[17]	Premier Soccer League	27	1	1	1	2	0	0	0	4	0	34	2
	2015–16[17]	Premier Soccer League	27	7	1	0	3	0	0	0	4	0	35	7
	2016-17	Premier Soccer League	22	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	34	0
	Total		118	9	12	1	8	0	0	0	13	0	151	10
Career total			118	9	12	1	8	0	0	0	13	0	151	10

1. Includes the Nedbank Cup
2. Includes the Telkom Knockout
3. Includes the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup
4. Includes the MTN 8

International

As of 22 June 2016.[17]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Zimbabwe	2010	1	0
	2011	5	1
	2012	3	0
	2013	1	0
	2014	1	1
	2015	2	0
	2016	3	0
Total		16	2

International goals

As of 22 June 2016. Scores and results list Zimbabwe's goal tally first.[17]

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	10 August 2011	National Sports Stadium, Harare, Zimbabwe	Zambia	1–0	2–0	Friendly
2	1 June 2014	National Sports Stadium, Harare, Zimbabwe	Tanzania	2–2	2–2	2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

Club

Gunners

• Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League (1): 2009–10

Ajax Cape Town

• 2010 Telkom Knockout: Finalist

Kaizer Chiefs

• Premier Soccer League (2): 2012–13, 2014–15
• Nedbank Cup (1): 2012–13
• MTN 8 (1): 2014

References

1. "Willard Katsande". IMScoutting. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
2. "Willard Katsande". Ajax Cape Town Official Site. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
3. "Willard Katsande". football365.co.za. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
4. "Willard Katsande". IMScouting. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
5. "Willard Katsande". Goal.com. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
6. "Willard Katsande". ABSA Premiership. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
7. "Willard Katsande seals Kaizer Chiefs move". The Herald Zimbabwe. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
8. https://www.football.com/en/willard-katsande/
9. www.realnet.co.uk. "Orlando Pirates beat Kaizer Chiefs to win the MTN8 Cup Final". Kick Off. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
10. https://www.football.com/en/willard-katsande/
11. https://www.football.com/en/willard-katsande/
12. www.realnet.co.uk. "Match report: Kaizer Chiefs demolish Bloemfontein Celtic in Gauteng Cup Final". Kick Off. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
13. www.realnet.co.uk. "Kaizer Chiefs beat Orlando Pirates in Soweto Derby". Kick Off. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
14. "Awards for Kaizer Chiefs stars | Southern Courier". Southern Courier. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
15. www.realnet.co.uk. "LINE-UPS: Chiefs vs Leopards". Kick Off. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
16. "Willard Katsande". The Standard. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
17. "Willard Katsande profile". Soccerway. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.