mbulelo smpofu
Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE international striker Prince Dube is on a hot streak, and his recent performances will undoubtedly have Warriors coach Michael Nees beaming ahead of the 2025 Afcon finals.
The 26-year-old striker has been in phenomenal form for his Tanzanian club, Young Africans (Yanga), scoring a hat-trick in their 3-2 victory against Mashujaa FC in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League on Thursday last week.
The impressive display came on the heels of his last-minute equaliser against TP Mazembe in the Caf Champions League. Dube’s hat-trick, in goals in the seventh, 21st and 52nd minutes, was the first in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League since the season began on 16 August.
His impressive form has helped Yanga climb to third in the league standings with 30 points from 12 matches.
The Zimbabwean striker’s recent performances will be music to the ears of Warriors coach, Nees, who could bank on Dube’s goalscoring prowess in the upcoming Afcon finals.
With his present form, Dube is undoubtedly one of the players to watch, and his contributions will be vital for the national team.
Dube joined Azam also of Tanzania in 2020 after leaving local giants Highlanders. The 27-year-old quickly became a prolific goalscorer at the club.
His career has been derailed by injuries but the striker appears to be back in form.
In his first season in Tanzania, he found the back of the net 14 times and slightly missed out on the Golden Boot gong. John Bocco of Simba won the accolade with 16 goals while his teammate Chris Mugalu found the target 15 times that season.
He left Bosso in 2017 for SuperSport United in the Premier Soccer League of South Africa but he did not manage to break into the first team. He was loaned to Black Leopards for a season but still battled for regular game time.
Dube became Zimbabwe’s 2019 Soccer Star of the Year second runner-up after he regained form at the 2006 league champions.
The forward made his national team debut on 26 March 2017, when Zimbabwe played to a 0-0 draw against neighbours Zambia. Meanwhile, The Warriors discovered their final Fifa world ranking of 2024 following the release of the latest table on Thursday. Zimbabwe played several games including friendlies, Cosafa Cup and 2025 Afcon Qualifiers.
The Afcon qualifying campaign was successful as they secured the ticket to the continental showcase in Morocco.
However, after suffering defeats in the friendly matches and at the Cosafa Cup, the national team made little progress on the Fifa rankings.
Zimbabwe will finish the year placed on number 121 in the world with 1151.06 points.
On the African ranking, the Warriors are positioned number 33. The continental ranking will be used for seeding of teams ahead of the 2025 Afcon final draw set for 27 January.
