Easy access at the tip of your fingers, subscribe to our daily ePaper version of our New Era Newspaper.
Home / Desmond Kharigub - Namibia’s own Luis Suarez in the making
Desmond Kharigub - Namibia’s own Luis Suarez in the making
2015-04-08Staff Report 2 OUTJO - While many Namibians were well convinced that the pair of former Brave Warriors greats Mohammed Ouseb and Gerros Urikob were the only mentionable names Oshikoto Region has produced in recent years, exactly in 1997 in the copper town of Tsumeb something specially significant took place: a boy destined for great things, Desmond Kharigub, was born. Making his first appearance at the annual Namibian Newspaper Cup in Outjo this past Easter weekend, the 18-year-old Desmond, representing Oshikoto Region, certainly didn’t need any second introduction after Oshikoto took to the field for their opening match as the youngster left spectators with dropped jaws with his astonishing balance, lower body strength and ability to shoot while galloping at incredible speed. Just like many youngsters from Tsumeb, Desmond currently plays for his boyhood club Chiefs Santos and has been part of the club’s structures since age 13, but says one of his biggest dreams is to help Santos gain promotion to the country’s flagship football league. Like all true greats Desmond, who has so far scored 13 goals for Santos this season, is a player with very few touches on the ball but his first touch often doubles as the opening stage of a goal-bound surge, and by the time of his second touch, he is already some yards clear of the defender and four touches later, the ball would be nestling in the net. A firm admirer of incumbent Brave Warriors coach Ricardo Mannetti, Desmond also cherishes the dream of one day working under the mentorship of Mannetti should a possible call-up to the national team become a reality, while he admitted that playing for Namibia’s reigning champions Black Africa is one of his many other ambitions. Admitting that he was a sprinter at school, Desmond boasts one asset which many a time is lacking in modern day strikers and that is speed. The youngster’s amazing acceleration from a standing start and quickly reaching full speed within five yards is breathtaking – it’s the kind of pace which defenders find difficult to handle. One more quality that New Era Sport also discovered at the youth tournament is the youngster’s incredible strength. Spectators witnessed firsthand as defenders employed all the dark arts trying to stop Desmond but he would always emerge standing after a wrestle for the ball. With all these qualities, New Era Sport couldn’t help but compare the youngster to Barcelona’s prolific but often controversial striker Luis Suarez, as the bravery and tenacity he shows in possession is equal to that of the Uruguayan. 2015-04-08Staff Report 2
