Marshall Munetsi moves to the Premier League Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Marshall Munetsi has completed a big money move from French club Reims to Wolverhampton Wanderers in England's Premier League. Photo: Denis Charlet/AFP
Image: Denis Charlet/AFP
Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Marshall Munetsi was delighted after completing a £16.6 million (R386 million) move from French club Reims to Wolverhampton Wanderers in England's Premier League.
The deal for the 28-year-old Zimbabwean was one of two completed by the Black Country football club on transfer deadline day on Monday night.
"I'm delighted. It's a dream come true for me. I've always wanted to be part of something big, and being part of Wolves is something that is very big for me, and is big for my family," Munetsi said when speaking to his new club's website.
"It's a team that I've also seen from afar, and the Premier League is the best place to be, so I'm delighted to join the family, to join the team.
“I'm very excited. It's probably going to be the first time I’ve had a big opportunity to be representing a bigger club. Nothing against Reims, but now you're going to be playing in the Premier League, playing for Wolves.
"Also, we have a greater population in England for Zimbabwean, I think I will feel even more at home than what I was doing in France.”
Munetsi has come a long way since moving to South Africa in 2015 to play for lower-tier Ubuntu Cape Town. His performances for the Western Cape club took him to Baroka FC on loan, and ultimately to Soweto giants Orlando Pirates, where he spent two years.
In those early days, Munetsi was paid in the region of R5,000 a month by Ubuntu Cape Town. However, according to Errol Dicks, who was the club's owner, he was always destined for the top of the game.
"His mental desire was second to none and we then sold him to Pirates for a lot of money," Dicks said, according to KickOff.
"While with us, he was a fantastic kid and if you told him to jump, he would jump and to run he would do the same... When he came to my club, he was earning R5,000 per month and he thought he was a millionaire.
"It was heaven for him because he got free accommodation, three meals a day and could go to the gym.
"I can tell you that Marshall is not the most gifted player, but he has what every coach needs for that box-to-box position."
According to reports, Munetsi will earn around R1 million-a-week in the Premier League.
IOL Sport