Chitalu could score 10 goals in a game, says former coach

The 81-year-old Croatian Ante Buselic, who was coach of Zambia's national team between 1971 and 1976, has said that Godfrey Chitalu was "a fury". He added that Leo Messi is "more subtle" but that, although he has no evidence, the African could well have scored the supposed 107 goals of 1972.

Buselic declared to the Croatian sports paper 'Sportske novosti' that while he was in charge of Zambia "nobody said Chitalu had scored 107 goals", but that in a book by the "renowned and very serious journalist Ridgeway Liwena titled 'The Zambian Soccer Scene'", that figure is mentioned for the year 1972.

"When I got there (to Zambia), I found this controversial boy, devilish, who in the national championship games could score seven, eight or even ten times", he stated.

According to Buselic, in that time in Zambia there were no statistics kept about the number of goals, and the only thing that mattered was winning. On Chitalu, he added that he was "dominant, inconceivably quick and dynamic."

He believes, however that Chitlau had things easier then than Messi does now with the current level of competition in football. "Of course the competition wasn't as tough as today in Spain, but it's not easy to score a goal wherever you play. Messi is subtle, he plays with both feet; he knows how to do it all. Chitalu was different - a fury that went straight at opponents, without too much finesse. Everything direct and simple", said Buselic.

The Zambian Football Fans Association (AAFZ) claimed recently that its investigations show that Godfry 'Ucar' Chitalu scored 107 times, meaning the record should be his and not Messi's.

The AAFZ has petitioned the Zambian Football Association (FAZ) to ask FIFA to correct the records. The FAZ is more cautious about the claim and is saying it will make a decision about the course to follow.

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Source: AS