Benjani Mwaruwari is a football player, who was born on August 13, 1978 in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Though his parents were of Malawian descent, Benjani Mwaruwari has chosen to play for Zimbabwe.
Benjani Mwaruwari has 32 international goals to his credit, which he has scored in 43 matches. He plays a significant role in the development of the game in his country and he has contributed for the team’s stay in France during the 2006 African Cup of Nations. Despite of his efforts, Zimbabwe national team failed to qualify for the 2008 African Cup of Nations. As of 2008, Benjani Mwaruwari, the captain of Zimbabwe national team, is believed to continue his campaign for the 2010 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in South Africa.
In 1995, he started his youth club career from Lulu Rovers and moved on to represent the University of Zimbabwe in the following year. He improved his striking abilities with every match he played for the University between 1996 and 1998. Having represented the Air Zimbabwe Jets for a year (1998-1999), he joined Jomo Cosmos, a South African club in 1999.
With his mentor, Jomo Sono’s guidance, he improved his performances and scoring rate for the team. Of his 44 appearances for Jomo Cosmos, he netted 30 goals between 1999 and 2001. Benjani Mwaruwari was sent on loan to play for Grasshoppers Zurich of Switzerland in 2001. During his loan period, he played 25 matches and scored a goal for Grasshoppers. Impressed with his performances, Guy Roux, the manager of AJ Auxerre of France, signed Benjani Mwaruwari in 2002.
Utilizing the opportunity, he played brilliantly in every match for the Auxerre netting 39 goals in 72 matches and became the Ligue 1 top goalscorer. His good form and unmatched football skills helped him perform well for the team.
On January 5, 2006, Benjani Mwaruwari moved to Portsmouth and his first 14 games for the team went without him scoring a goal. His first goal for Portsmouth came on April 29, 2006 in a crucial match against Wigan Athletic, which not only helped the team to win the match but also helped to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Benjani Mwaruwari has scored two hat-tricks for Portsmouth, first one against Reading on September 29, 2007 and the second one against Derby County on January 19, 2008. Of his 70 matches for Portsmouth, he has scored 19 goals and became the Premier League’s top scorer in the 2006-2007 season.
Benjani Mwaruwari moved to Manchester City on February 5, 2008 and played his first match on February 10, 2008, for the team to win 2-1 against Manchester United. As of 2008, he has played 13 matches for the team and has scored 3 goals; ironically his first goal was against his former club, Portsmouth on April 20, 2008.
For his commendable performances, Benjani Mwaruwari was awarded ‘Footballer of the Year’ (2001) in South Africa.
