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<\/p>\nFRENCH second division side Le Havre can count on its man in form: Tino Kadewere who arrived from Sweden last summer. This 23-year-old Zimbabwean international is the most expensive transfer in the club\u2019s history but that is not enough to impress him as he has a mission more perilous to complete: it is called Ligue 1.<\/p>\n
INTERVIEW<\/p>\n
In\u00a0France,\u00a0and particularly in\u00a0Auxerre\u00a0, we remember very well one of your compatriots: Benjani Mwaruwari.<\/p>\n
I know him very well.\u00a0Until recently, he was active with an association that helps Zimbabwean players without a contract to find a club.\u00a0He gave them a helping hand as a coach.<\/p>\n
You spoke with him when signing in Le Havre?<\/p>\n
Yes, he gave me some tips on how to better understand French football, to adapt to\u00a0France\u00a0and to progress.\u00a0Learn your language as fast as possible for example and integrate me quickly in the group, so that I am not isolated from the rest of the players and I become fully one of them.<\/p>\n
Your French adventure could have started a few years ago in\u00a0Sochaux\u00a0.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Absolutely.\u00a0In 2014, I joined a Zimbabwean first division team (Harare City)\u00a0with whom I played twelve games and scored eight goals.\u00a0Two clubs then invited me to do a trial: Djurg\u00e5rdens and\u00a0Sochaux\u00a0.\u00a0I started in\u00a0Sweden, then I spent a week in\u00a0France\u00a0.<\/p>\n
Finally, it was\u00a0Sweden\u00a0that you chose.\u00a0Why ?<\/p>\n
I was not ready for European football.\u00a0And then, because of the language barrier.\u00a0In\u00a0Sochaux\u00a0, no one spoke English, while it was the case in Djurg\u00e5rdens.\u00a0So, it was the perfect place to acclimatize to Europe.<\/p>\n
Is it true that you find Ligue 2 stronger than the Swedish D1?<\/p>\n
You know, football is nearly the same everywhere, but the one we practice in\u00a0France\u00a0is both very physical and very intense; somewhat different from the one I was used to in the past.\u00a0In\u00a0Sweden, I would say that it is more tactical and that the technique is more modern.\u00a0Please note that this does not mean that French football is devoid of technique; but although it is the physics that dominates.\u00a0That\u2019s why I find the Ligue 2 stronger than the Swedish D1.\u00a0If you can play in Ligue 2, you can play everywhere.<\/p>\n
What kind of player were you in\u00a0Zimbabwe\u00a0?<\/p>\n
I was called a complete player because I started in midfield and sometimes on the wings.\u00a0What I noticed at home was my\u00a0skills\u00a0and my speed.\u00a0But when I arrived in\u00a0Sweden\u00a0, everything changed because I was relocated to number 9 and I learned to play for the team.\u00a0Speed, I always have, technical moves too, but I\u2019m focusing more on what the team wants me to do for them.\u00a0I do not necessarily want to put myself forward.\u00a0What matters is how I can put what I can do for the benefit of the team\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n
You once said \u2018I want everyone to know who Tino is\u2019.\u00a0\u2009So who are you?<\/p>\n
I started playing football from the age of seven in the academy my father had in\u00a0Zimbabwe, and always with boys older than me.\u00a0Around 10-11 years old, I was already playing in U15!\u00a0Being where I am today is like a dream.\u00a0For me as for my father.\u00a0You know, in Zimbabwe, football is not the most recognised (professional) discipline.\u00a0And yet, it is a country full of young talents.\u00a0But if you want to break through, you have to hang on and sometimes play for your name so that it is known throughout the country.<\/p>\n
What are your models?<\/p>\n
I support\u00a0Manchester United\u00a0since the time\u00a0Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still my favourite player.\u00a0When he was transferred to\u00a0Real Madrid, I started to cheer for Real Madrid.\u00a0And today, it\u2019s the same with\u00a0Juventus.\u00a0But United is still my heart club.\u00a0At the level of my position, I admire\u00a0Harry Kane.\u00a0He is one of the best strikers in the world and I often watch videos of him to try to replicate what he\u2019s doing on the field.<\/p>\n
What did you know about HAC before getting there?<\/p>\n
I knew it was the oldest club in\u00a0France, and a lot of talent was there in their early days.\u00a0Just look at where are players like\u00a0Paul Pogba\u00a0or\u00a0Benjamin Mendy.\u00a0To sign, it was obviously to progress myself, but also to help the team to achieve the goal of the rise in Ligue 1. It\u2019s not an easy task, but I think we have the qualities necessary to achieve this.\u00a0If so, it will be good for my name and my career.\u00a0But let it be clear: I play for the team, not for my name.\u00a0And if we play well, maybe then I could still progress personally.<\/p>\n
Twenty million Swedish kroner, that\u2019s two million euros and it is the largest amount ever spent by\u00a0Le Havre\u00a0to attract the services of a player.\u00a0How do we live with this label stuck on the forehead?<\/p>\n
This brings pressure sometimes difficult to manage.\u00a0But when you\u2019re a professional, you have to get used to it.\u00a0It\u2019s in my head that this kind of thing happens, and I have to make sure that it does not affect my performance on the field.<\/p>\n
The leadership of Le Havre seemed to really have confidence in you since you arrived injured in the collateral ligament of the left knee.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s true.\u00a0But I quickly felt comfortable in the group, because the technical staff and the other players prepared me beforehand with advice on what to do on the field, so that I find immediately my place once able to play.\u00a0It\u2019s been a long and difficult time\u00a0(his first appearance was on November 9, Ed)\u00a0, but I think I\u2019ve made progress since I left\u00a0Sweden\u00a0.<\/p>\n
Above all, thanks to you,\u00a0Le Havre\u00a0must now be known in\u00a0Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
Maybe I helped make the club more famous because when I go home, I always come back with products from the store.\u00a0But the HAC was still a little known, because it has long played in Ligue 1 and is the oldest club in\u00a0France\u00a0.<\/p>\n
How was the adaptation for your family?<\/p>\n
My wife and my son are used to living far from the country.\u00a0When you marry a footballer, you know that these things are part of everyday life and they adapt very well.\u00a0When we were in\u00a0Sweden\u00a0, my son was going to Swedish school and my wife was also taking classes.\u00a0We repeated this in Le Havre.\u00a0If one day I go to\u00a0Italy\u00a0, they will learn Italian.\u00a0And if I play in Czechia, they will learn Czech.<\/p>\n
Who would not want to live in\u00a0France\u00a0?\u00a0It is one of the most beautiful countries in the world!\u00a0In\u00a0Zimbabwe\u00a0, when you tell people that you live there, they respect you so much \u2026 As for Normandy, it\u2019s a very beautiful region.\u00a0I love\u00a0Le Havre\u00a0because it is not a very big city and we have the beach nearby.\u00a0In addition, Paris is only two hours away, which allows us to go sightseeing with family when we have free time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FRENCH second division side Le Havre can count on its man in form: Tino Kadewere who arrived from Sweden last summer. This 23-year-old Zimbabwean international is the most expensive transfer in the club\u2019s history but that is not enough to impress him as he has a mission more perilous to complete: it is called Ligue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":2450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,16],"tags":[84,74],"class_list":["post-2437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-football","tag-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n