Three days after offering his services on social media, a Zimbabwean winger, Gabriel Nyoni, has secured a deal with South African club Cape Umoya United.
Nyoni was released by South African top-flight side Maritzburg United during the lockdown.
Left without a job, the player, who completed degree in marketing in 2016 when he was playing for Highlanders in Zimbabwe, turned to skills acquired during his student days and put them to good use.
The 27-year posted a video of match highlights on Twitter showing his pace and finishing skills, with the words “Kindly like and retweet. Maybe I can get a job.”
The post attracted attention on the continent and beyond.
According to Nyoni, his post on Twitter cemented Cape Umoya’s interest in acquiring his signature. He added that the tweet exposed him to other clubs in Africa, who expressed interest in signing him as well as enquiries from Europe.
“The Tweet also gave me football contacts as far away as Europe, but the interests came after I had then already agreed terms with Cape Umoya,” the player said.
“The other clubs asked why I didn’t wait for them, but loyalty and honesty are among my top priorities, so I finished the deal with them.”
He explained that with his Marketing studies he understands how social media could help him grow, adding that he shared the video to market his brand and create awareness on what he can do.
“I have a manager but I did this as my own initiative – as a player, as a brand, you have to take yourself out there, and after playing football it will benefit you, even if you want to go into football administration,” he stated.