01 Jul The Rebirth of Clifford Mulenga
LAST season, Clifford Mulenga rolled back the years displaying some of the performances that once saw him being crowned the best young player on the continent.
His cultured left-foot and dazzling displays earned him three accolades thus giving credence to the thought that ‘form is temporal but skill is permanent.’
Since joining Forest Rangers two seasons ago, Mulenga has put in hard work on and off the pitch which has helped him return to his former best albeit in the evening of his career.
In the previous campaign, he bagged the club’s golden boot with his 11 goals one of which earned him the goal of the season while being named the player of the year.
For a career that has spanned over two decades, Mulenga’s journey has had its fair share of low moments which once left him on the brink of quitting the game.
A contractual dispute between him and South African club Jomo Cosmos saw Mulenga stay away from football for two years until the issues were resolved by world football governing body FIFA.
He describes this part of his career as tough.
“I had gone for two years without any football so it really affected my fitness, I was just staying at home and it was a very difficult moment.
“Thoughts of quitting football crossed my mind, I did think about it but you know people around me encouraged me to keep going on so that I could revive my career,” he recalls.
Before coming to Forest, he had attracted the interest of Lusaka Dynamos, he trained with Elite but was unable to join them owing to a FIFA ruling.
After being cleared by FIFA, Mulenga signed for Forest acting on the advice rendered by his older brother, Joseph.
“When I was leaving South Africa, the team that I was coming to join was Lusaka Dynamos, when they wanted to sign me I was not allowed to sign as we still had issues with Cosmos,” he says.
In his first season at the club, Mulenga did not see much action owing to his fitness levels but had memorable instances such as his debut against Power Dynamos and the opening goal in the derby against Indeni.
Overall, he describes his first season as tough.
He found it challenging adapting to the Zambian training regime where most clubs usually train twice a day.
“It was very tough because to get into fitness, adapt to the weather conditions having been away in South Africa for a long time.
“It was very challenging for me, I did not play much because my shape was not that good so it took a little bit of time for me to get into shape and adapt to the local game,” Mulenga says.
After enduring a tough first season, everything appeared to come together for Mulenga last season.
So, what changed?
“The one thing was working on my mentality, I mean had to prepare mentally to be able to adapt to the conditions here, I knew I had to work hard, I had to watch my diet,” Mulenga says.
Mulenga credits his fine ‘rebirth’ to a strong support system within and outside the club.
He names the likes of James Chamanga, Isaac Chansa, and his brother Joseph among others for playing a role in rebuilding his career.
“Sometimes when you make a mistake, it is important to admit that you have made a mistake then you try to find solutions on how to correct those mistakes.
“I have spoken to a lot of guys, James Chamanga, Isaac Chansa, and Owen Kaposa I would tell them ‘guys I am struggling with fitness’ and they were of great help.
“A lot of people don’t know this, when you come from South Africa to Zambia, there is that mental thing of ‘I have gone backward’ so you need to fight that mental thing, luckily for me, there were people who helped me.
“There are people who have also helped me appreciate the love of God, God gave me an opportunity to be at Forest which is amazing,” Mulenga says.
At 35, Mulenga is looking to build on the success of last season.
Asked on when he will hang his boots, this is his response: “I don’t think there is anyone in this world that can know how long their body can push on.
“I cannot put a time frame, but when I feel I am tired and I cannot push anymore, then I will call it quits.”
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