Their have been players that have scored goals,their have been players that scored spectacular goals then their was Godfrey Ucar Chitalu.

Some say he was the greatest Striker that ever lived.The only African on FIFA’s official list of Top ten Players with the most goals in a single season. His 83 strikes in 1968 for Kitwe United takes him to third on the list only behind Gerd Muller [85] and Leo Messi [91].

Personal information
Full name Godfrey Chitalu
Date of birth 22 October 1947
Place of birth Luanshya, Northern Rhodesia
Date of death 27 April 1993 (aged 45)
Place of death Atlantic Ocean, off the Gabonese c
Playing position Forward

Youth career
1957–1959 Fisansa Youth Club
1959–1962 Kwacha I Community Centre

Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gl
1964–1970 Kitwe United
1971–1982 Kabwe Warriors

National team
1968–1980 Zambia 108 (

Teams managed
1984–1986 Kabwe Warriors
1991–1993 Kabwe Warriors
1993 Zambia

Chitalu scored more than 100 goals in all competitions in 1972, more than Gerd Müller’s total in 1972 and Lionel Messi’s total in 2012, both of which are often referred to by journalist as “world records”.

However, Zambian researchers found out they were actually 116 throughout the calendar year. This includes 15 goals in CAF competitions, 91 goals in FAZ tournaments, 5 goals in friendly games, 3 goals in the NFL Trophy and 2 goals in the NFL Benevolent Fund Match. The research was presented in the year 2012 after Lionel Messi broke the alleged world record of Gerd Müller.

Nevertheless, a FIFA spokesman declared that an official FIFA world record had never existed as they did not keep track of domestic competitions.

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 27 April 1993.

Chitalu had behavioral issues hence in 1968 Kitwe United Named him captain at the age of 20 making him the youngest Captain in the super division. This decision worked out well as he improved on his behavior and managed to score 81 goals propelling Kitwe United to a 4th place finish and a cup final.

In 1971, Chitalu moved to Kabwe with the intention of joining Kabwe Warriors. At first, Kitwe United tried to pour water on the move by saying they would not release him as Warriors had “caught a fish in the wrong waters”.Kitwe United then slapped a transfer fee of K15,000 which was more than seven times the record fee in Zambian football of K2,000. Chitalu appealed to the National Football League and the transfer was eventually given the green light at a reduced fee of K3,500.

Chitalu kicked off the 1972 season by scoring a brace when Warriors drew 2–2 with Majantja FC in Maseru in the African Cup of Champions Clubs on 23 January 1972. He followed this up with a lesson in clinical
finishing, scoring seven goals when Warriors
overwhelmed the Sothos 9–0 in the second leg on 6 February 1972 at Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium in Ndola. Although the newspaper reports of the match stated that he had set the pace on the scoring charts with nine goals in the competition, the goals were later scratched off by the Zambian authorities because the two matches were played before the Zambian season had gotten underway.

On 27 April 1993, the Zambia national team travelled to Senegal for the first of their 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification games in the group stage. The team’s mode of transportation was a Zambian Air Force
plane. After refuelling in Libreville, Gabon, the plane developed problems and plunged into the sea. Thirty people on board including Michael Mwape, the president of the FAZ, Chitalu and eighteen players died in the accident.

Godfrey Chitalu Road in Lusaka is named after Chitalu.In December 2012, Kabwe Warriors renamed the Railways Stadium as the “Godfrey Chitalu Stadium,” and announced plans to erect a statue in his honour.

Career honours

National team
Heroes Cup (3 match series against
Uganda): 1968
Peter Stuyvesant Trophy (3 match series
against Malawi): 1969

Runner up:
African Cup of Nations: 1974

Club
Zambian Premier League: 1971, 1972
Castle Cup: 1972
Challenge Cup: 1972
Heinrich Chibuku Cup: 1970, 1971, 1972
Charity Shield: 1971, 1972, 1973

Manager
Independence Cup: 1984
Zambian Division I League: 1991
Challenge Cup: 1991
Champion of Champions Cup: 1991
Charity Shield: 1992

Individual

Zambian Footballer of the Year: 1968,
1970, 1972, 1978, 1979
Zambian League Top Scorer: 1968, 1971,
1972, 1974, 1977, 1980
Zambian Sportsman of the Year: 1977
CECAFA Cup top scorer: 1978
Zambian Insignia of Honour: 1981
Fair Play Award from the International Fair
Play Committee: 1988

Mubanga Aaron

Freelance Football Writer |Freelance sports presenter TV & Radio|Sports Analyst|Social media manager|mubajnrabntv@gmail.com