ZIMBABWEAN defender Jordan Zemura feels he got an early Christmas present after putting pen to paper a new contract with English Championship football club AFC Bournemouth.
The 21-year-old, who made his league debut for the Cherries on Saturday, will remain at Vitality Stadium until 2022.
The deal comes after a breakthrough first few months of the season for Zemura, who made his first-team debut in September’s Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace.
He went on to feature in the next round against Manchester City, coming on as a first-half substitute for Lloyd Kelly at the Etihad Stadium.
This past weekend, Zemura became the latest academy graduate to make his league debut in 2020/21 when he replaced Adam Smith in the 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town.
The left-back, who has netted four times for the Under-21s this season, has additionally seen his performances catch the eye of international scouts.
After a sustained campaign to convince British-born players to come back home and play for the Zimbabwe national team, Zemura honoured his first call up last month for the back-to-back African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Algeria.
Previously, he had faced challenges with his passport.
Zemura’s national team debut came just two days before his 21st birthday, starting the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Algeria.
He followed that up with a second cap three days later, as the Warriors fought back to draw 2-2 with the Desert Foxes of Algeria to maintain second place in Group H of the 2021 AFCON qualifiers.
The fullback said his contract was welcomed by his family, including his father Sam, who has encouraged him constantly to improve and also commit everything to play for Zimbabwe.
“My mum was really happy and my dad was more on the father-son vibe. “So What’s next? What are you going to do to get the bulk contract? What are you going to do to improve?”
“Even my little brothers were buzzing. It feels like more of a Christmas present and birthday present. I think the whole family was really excited for me and it’s part of how far I have come,” said Zemura.- The Herald
