But one wonders how much work Mbidzo has to put to perfect his art. “Zimbabweans back then had a misconception that all extraordinary exploit were associated with so my choice of sport was accompanied with a lot of stories when I started. I had to put in a lot of work to improve my ball juggling skills which were not as developed when I was still a player,” said the 44-year-old entertainer. “I committed a lot of time to physical and mental practice. But as time passed, juggling became part of my system and I found I did not need to train that much any longer,” said the former Kwayedza High School student. Mbidzo has now set his mind on passing his skills on to youngsters and upcoming footballers to enable them to add ball juggling to their skills arsenal in game situations. “I see myself as a motivational example in local football. This is a legacy I can leave for others so nowadays I am bringing in youngsters to help me perform because ball juggling is like the word of God which must be shared with others,” Mbidzo said. Ball juggling, he said, is a football coaching concept which helps in terms of vision, ball artistry, and precision while spicing up the game of football. He said he is quite dismayed to see that there is a good number of soccer players who cannot do basic ball juggling. Mbidzo coaches the Elias Madzara-owned Delma Printers Academy based in Glen Norah and has had at least 55 players under his tutelage. He said he hoped to produce future stars with special ball artistry skills that lack in today’s football. “Footballers must never stop learning. All upcoming and established players need to develop themselves academically. Material wealth is good but you cannot always express yourself to the world sitting in a Limousine, but through your mind, and also, life will ask you questions after a football career,” he said. Mbidzo is married to Lynnet and the couple is blessed with three girls: Kudzai (16), Lester (13) and Kunashe (4). He is a holder of a diploma in marketing management apart from his class three level soccer coaching badge. In 2004 he branded perfumes after his name “The Desire Colognes” under Ngwiros Trading — a saloon product manufacturing company owned by Livingstone Mangwiro who was killed in a car accident, after which the initiative of marketing and product promotion hit a snag. Although he may not have crossed the borders in his area of specialty, Mbidzo has become a popular figure for his ball juggling skills. When other family members boast of their achievements on the football pitch, Mbidzo can always dare anyone to challenge him at ball juggling.