Talking about Zimbabwean football, there are certain names that if omitted then the story is never complete, thus every crop of local footballers has its heroes, men whose names are spoken with great respect and pride.
Apparently, talking about Zimbabwean football greats, among the names in the top drawer is Japhet Muparutsa, the goalkeeper the nation affectionately calls The Short Cat.
As his nickname suggests, born in 1963, Muparutsa was not the most physically imposing, however, he commanded the goal area like a giant.
Muparutsa was a unique goalminder whose alertness, intelligence, charisma, and sportsmanship were all bundled into one unforgettable small package.
Long before the art of ball-playing goalkeepers became fashionable, The Short Cat was already doing it in Zimbabwe.
He read the game very well, dealt with crosses with unimaginable spring, and sometimes he would pick the ball out of the sky with a single hand turning danger into delight.
However, his greatest weapon was his ball distribution.
From every clean catch, he could initiate a counter attack with top notch accuracy: swift central throws, long diagonal balls to both wings, intelligent switches that found forwards already on right spots at the right time.
If assist stats existed for goalkeepers then, The Short Cat would probably be the world record holder.
He bagged a rare and extraordinary honour for a keeper being crowned Soccer Star of the Year.
Muparutsa didn’t just keep goals; he started attacks, dictated tempo, and controlled games from the back.
The bold move: From Dynamos to Black Rhinos
In the early 1980s, the country witnessed one of the greatest football shocks of all times.
A strong group of players — including Muparutsa — left Dynamos, the biggest club in the country, to join Black Rhinos.
The move stunned the nation. Leaving DeMbare was almost unthinkable.
However the move became one of the most fruitful decisions of his life.
As he once said: “Switching from Dynamos to Black Rhinos turned out to be one of the biggest decisions of my life.”
And history proved him right. At Black Rhinos, he became the cornerstone, a leader, and a symbol of ambition, helping shape a team that left a permanent mark on Zimbabwean football.
Muparutsa is not only a former footballer, but a walking legend, a pioneer who raised bar in as far as the art of goalkeeping in Zimbabwe is concerned.
A man who effortlesdly exhibited that talent beats physical stature, a man whose ball distribution changed the complexion of the game, a man whose lion-heartedness inspired generations.