Zimbabwe national team coach Michael Nees has revealed why Knowledge Musona was reluctant to come out of retirement.
Zimbabwe announced their squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Nigeria later this month.
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Musona was a surprise inclusion in the national team squad, as the Al Khoolod striker had been retired from international football since 2022.
Now coming out of retirement three years later, Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees has revealed that Musona could have come back last year when The Warriors sealed their spot in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
"Knowledge (Musona) could have returned in November last year during the AFCON qualifiers, for your own information we even processed his visa. But he is one of individual who is not interested in stealing the show," said Nees during his squad announcement, according to Soccer24.
"The team had just had two wins against Namibia. He (Knowledge) is not an opportunist but he said he would be ready if we really had a problem- be it injury or suspension to any of the senior players, that is why we applied for his visa.
"It shows his positive character and that is what we need. Not the 'put me first' but 'put the team or country first' attitude. That is a mentality we need to instill more and more because everyone has to pull in the same direction.
At the time of retirement, Musona had been the team captain and Nees was asked if he would reinstate the former Kaizer Chiefs forward as skipper.
"Things don't change from one day to the next. Knowledge's character is not that of someone who just comes and expects to have the captaincy. Marvelous (Nakamba) will remain captain while Marshall (Munetsi) will be the stand-in captain."
This season, Musona has registered five goals and one assist in 20 matches for Al-Okhdood in Saudi Arabia.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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