Godfrey Chitalu (October 22, 1947 – April 27, 1993) was a Zambian footballer who is regarded as the greatest Zambian player ever and is also believed to hold the national team goal-scoring record. Nicknamed ‘Ucar,’ Chitalu, was a forceful and often temperamental target man who was Zambian footballer of the year a record four times and in 1972 rewrote the record books by scoring 107 goals in all competitions in a single season.
Upon retirement, Ch...
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Godfrey Chitalu (October 22, 1947 – April 27, 1993) was a Zambian footballer who is regarded as the greatest Zambian player ever and is also believed to hold the national team goal-scoring record. Nicknamed ‘Ucar,’ Chitalu, was a forceful and often temperamental target man who was Zambian footballer of the year a record four times and in 1972 rewrote the record books by scoring 107 goals in all competitions in a single season.
Upon retirement, Chitalu took to coaching and was in charge of the Zambia national team when the entire squad perished in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon on April 27, 1993.
Chitalu was born in the Zambian Copperbelt town of Luanshya in a rough neighbourhood called Mikomfwa where youths got involved in various vices besides playing barefoot football. It is believed that these early experiences helped shape his character.
He first tried his luck with local team Roan United in the mid-1960s but was ignored by the coaches and only got as far as the reserves....
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