Temwa lights up China
It was the stuff that dreams are made of. In only her debut season in the Chinese Women’s Super League, prolific forward Temwa Chawinga stood up to be counted by guiding Wuhan to their first-ever league title.
The 22-year-old striker’s star shone brightly, having been signed from Swedish club Kvarnsvedens, where she scored 59 goals in 57 matches.
To add extra spice, Temwa finished as the runner-up to top scorer Zambian Barbara Banda, whose side Shanghai Shengli finished third.
She also reduced her supremely gifted sister Tabitha—who is ranked among the top five players on the continent by the Confederation of African Football—to a sideshow.
As if to underline her supremacy, Temwa not only guided Wuhan to three victories against Tabitha’s Jiangsu Suning, but also wrested the league title from them, culminating in a 4-0 comprehensive demolition in the championship decider.
The Scorchers forward did it to perfection by netting the opener which was classic.
A signature drift into an open space, then a cheeky stylish touch that was followed by a curling shot into the top corner.
Nothing was forced from a player soaring with confidence.
It was a feat that thrust her into the global media spotlight as she feasted in a cocktail of rave reviews triggered by her top-drawer performances.
BBC, ESPN and Goal.com were among the international media outlets that saluted Temwa’s success story.
BBC and Goal.com even tipped her to be among the contenders for the African Women’s Footballer of the Year, having been rated as the second best African player in October rankings behind the reigning African Woman Footballer of the Year—Nigerian Asisat Oshoala—who stars for Barcelona in Spain.
However, in an interview with The Nation, the Wuhan striker was a model of modesty, brushing off suggestions that she was now up there among the best.
“It really felt good winning the league title in my debut season and being named among the best in Africa, but the truth is that I am still learning. I still have a long way to go.
“When I was signed by Wuhan, they made it clear that their expectations were that I should help the team to win the league and I am glad that I lived up to that,” she said.
However, her new lease of life in China was not rosy for the Scorchers star as she had to endure a 76-day lockdown imposed by authorities as a preventive measure against the spread of Covid-19 in Wuhan City, which was the epicentre of the outbreak.
