Kinnah is Flames’ all-time top scorer
Malawi national football team legend Kinnah Phiri is the Flames’ all-time top-scorer with 71 goals from 117 caps.
A report released by Football Association of Malawi (FAM) and Antione Mario, who corresponds for RSSSF, a firm that compiles official national team statistics, says Kinnah’s 71 goals puts him eighth on the list of all-time top international goal scorers.
Iranian Ali Daei leads the list with 109 goals.
Nicknamed ‘Electric’ due to his scoring prowess, Kinnah falls short of eight goals to claim the African football record held by Zambian Godfrey Chitalu, who scored 79 goals.
“He scored his first goal on January 20 1974 as Malawi drew 2-2 with Mauritius in Curepipe while his last was in Malawi’s 3-1 win over Tanzania in a friendly in Lilongwe on June 21 1981.
“Frank Sinalo and Lawrence Waya with 27 goals each are second, followed by Stock Dandize with 23 goals and Chiukepo Msowoya and Yasin Osman with 22 goals each,” reads the report in part.
Esau Kanyenda is fourth on the list, with 21 goals. Kinnah also leads the hat-trick record having scored thrice on four occasions.
His first was against Zanzibar, when he scored four goals in Malawi’s 7-2 win in 1975.
The only other player to have scored more than one hat-trick was Sinalo.
The other players, who scored three goals, were Yasin Osman, Roy Cook, Spy Msiska, Benjamin Phoya, Lovemore Fazili and Kanyenda.
Gabadihno Mhango, who is still playing for the Flames, was the last to bang three against Angola at the 2016 Cosafa Cup, according to the report.
Kinnah is one of the only five players to have featured in three East and Central Africa Senior Challenge Cup final matches, and among six players on the winning side twice in 1978 and 1979.
His last Flames appearance was on November 20 1982 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania when Malawi defeated Zanzibar 4-1 in East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup.
Kinnah briefly returned on the international scene as team manager to coach Henry Moyo in 1983, before he went to Swaziland.
FAM competitions manager Gomezgani Zakazaka said Antoine is writing a book on Malawi football.
Prior to the book release, FAM produces weekly reports on Malawi football history.
Last week, the association released a report on Young Chimodzi, as Flames’ most capped player
“Mario has done extensive research on Malawi football. His findings are based on records at the Malawi FA as well as Fifa.
“He is expected to release the book on Malawi football in December this year,” said Zakazaka.
