By 
ZIMBABWEAN Tawanda Maswanhise may not have been part of the final Leicester City side that rewrote the books of history by winning the club’s first English FA Cup on Saturday night, but the highly-rated teenager, became the second player of Zimbabwean descent to get the medal after legendary goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, the Jungleman won three FA Cup medals with Liverpool between 1986 and 1992.
Coach Brendan Rodgers basked in the glory of his status as the first Leicester City manager to win the FA Cup. It was a moving moment. The son of the former owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Khun Top had become chairman after his father died in a helicopter crash at King Power Stadium in October 2018. Here, he joined Rodgers before celebrating with Leicester’s players, lifting the FA Cup they had won for the first time after beating Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley on Saturday.
Maswanhise, who had tongues wagging after he made the match-day squad earlier in the week for the big game against Manchester United at Old Trafford straight from the Under-18 development side, was expected to cap off a memorable week by getting involved in England’s most famous knockout cup competition.
However, the young midfielder, who is currently in the development side, still had great memories after making the travelling side. He has made significant strides and was part of the Foxes senior team during the preparations for the Emirates FA Cup final on Saturday.
But the most memorable will be the medal that he is expected to receive from the club for his role during the run-up to the final. Medals were handed only to those who were on the pitch on Saturday night because of the Covid-19 regulations. The other players, including Maswanhise, and staff will get theirs at the club.
Each club in the final receives 40 winners’ or runners-up medals to be distributed among players, staff and officials.
This would make him the second player from Zimbabwe to get the medal after legendary goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, who won three FA Cup medals with Liverpool between 1986 and 1992.
Although he did not play in Saturday night’s final at Wembley, the medal would mean much for Maswanhise as much as it was historic for the Foxes.
Rodgers has maintained that the recent involvement of the young player with the senior team was meant for his development.
Maswanhise has impressed Rodgers with his performances for City’s Under-18s, for whom he has been the top assist maker this season, primarily playing on the wing. He has spent the majority of the campaign with the Under-18s, scoring once and assisting six in 20 Under-18 Premier League appearances, while he also set up both goals in an FA Youth Cup win over Exeter in March.
He has also featured for the Foxes Under-13 and, for the past couple of weeks, he has been training with the first team.
Maswanhise is the son of an ex-Zimbabwean sprinter, Jeffrey Maswanhise, who represented the country in the 400m at the 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games.
“He’s a young player I like,” Rodgers recently said of the 18-year-old. “I’ve seen him playing for the Under-18s. He’s quick, he’s direct. He’s got a lot of strengths and he’s got a lot of potential, but a lot of work to do.
“To feel the preparation, to sit on the bench, to see the quality of the players, it gives him a flavour of the level and preparation he needs to be here. That was the idea.”
Maswanhise was part of the celebrations after Leicester City’s Emirates FA Cup victory over Chelsea on Saturday night. He was pictured with the trophy and with some first-team players posing with their medals.
It was a milestone achievement for the current class of Leicester City players who broke the jinx with a spirited fight on the night.
Leicester City had featured in four finals previously but without success. They were finalists in 1949, 1961, 1963 and 1969 and it took them 52 years to get into another final.
In this year’s competition, The Foxes defeated Stoke City, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester United and Southampton before overcoming Chelsea in the final at Wembley on Saturday night.
It’s a triumph which means the club has now lifted all of English football’s most prestigious honours, adding to a single Premier League title and three League Cup victories.
Victory for Leicester means they are guaranteed European football next season. They have gained a Europa League slot by winning the FA Cup. They are already strong candidates for a Champions League spot as they have almost sealed a top-four finish.
Rodgers saluted his fantastic Foxes after their historic FA Cup victory on Saturday night.
“I’m very proud, it’s a historic day for the club. Winning the FA Cup for the first time is clearly a special day. The players were so courageous in the game.
“I’m so pleased for Khun Top (chairman) and the family. It was a dream of theirs to win the FA Cup and we have been able to deliver that.
“We were playing against the Champions League finalists, we knew at times we’d have to suffer but we were worthy of the win.
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