MBWANA SAMATA:WHAT SETS HIM APART?

He is composed,confident and clinical but that does not actually describe Mbwana  Samata ‘Poppa’.Tanzania has had clinical strikers in the past such as Ally Thuweini who scored two goals in two different matches in Tanzania’s single appearance at the African cup of nations in 1980,Nigeria.Even in his former club,Simba he would be hardly mentioned in the top three strikers that have donned the famous red and white colours of Msimbazi.

Even his signing for Simba did not catch the attention,it was hardly news after all we have been used to seeing real drama when Simba and Yanga are eyeing a potential talented player.Perhaps he was still very raw as even Azam just ignored him when they could sign him at next to-nothing-fee.  Bonface Pawasa, saw the potential in him and urged the then newly promoted Azam leaders to recruit him but it seems they never paid much attention so he had to start his premier league journey at African Lyon.

Even before he caught the eyes of TP Mazembe he had already established himself as one of the rare gifted strikers in the Vodacom Premier league. He hardly played a full season for Simba before the big boys from Congo came calling. It only took him two matches two convince TP Mazembe .So what sets him apart from the other strikers?

Many will rightly point at his goals,but that does not complete his story. A keen observer of football who has seen Samata would point out at his arrogance. With a ball at his feet he is simply arrogantly cool,he  possess the inner belief that he can do anything with the ball.It’s like he feels he can command a ball and force his way through a forest of defenders. His runs with the ball are more of ‘it is me against the world’.

His arrogance is what caught the attention of Mazembe.In  the CAF Champions league match between Simba and Mazembe he was the stand out player despite Mazembe easily drabbing Simba home and away. In the two legs,he tore apart Mazembe’s defence and gave Simba faithful something to cheer in a two legs affair where they had very little to smile about.Despite having the pace to outrun defenders,Samata  prefers the cool approach,he tends to wait for  defenders as if his mind is just off the pitch yet he almost always weaves his ways past them.

In the recent match against  Morocco,he  got a through pass from Athumani Idd ‘Chuji’, a couple of yards away from defenders with only  the keeper to beat yet in his typical style of arrogance he stopped,the whole stadium including those who  were half way  off their seats ready to celebrate were suspended in a pause like-motion, and as if giving defenders a fair play-chance to catch him, he just calmly slotted the ball home.

His cool arrogance just sets him apart,he is so sure of himself,unflinching  trust and faith that his composed approach will get him through any defence.He  releases the ball when he feels there is a chance for others though it can sometimes being annoying seeing him holding the ball for so long allowing the opposition to re-group and tighten the defence .In 2012 AFCON qualifier match against Algeria he kept holding the ball for so long though to his credit he never lost it. Slower than a crippled tortoise at times yet he can also run at full speed when the occasion calls for pace. 

Off the pitch he is a simple lad who rarely hits the headlines for non-football issues. Despite being young and successful he has not allowed that success to get into his head. In a nation very hungry for a true football star, he is being looked  to by many as a good example of  a talented footballer.