COSAFA honours Tabitha Chawinga as ‘history maker’ for becoming first African player to win the Italian Serie A Women’s Golden Boot Award

* Tabitha continues to add to her impressive list of achievements which include being the first footballer from Malawi to play for a European team

* Tabitha and Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir are the only players in the top five European leagues to have scored 15 goals without any penalties

By Duncan Mlanjira

Confederation of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) has described Malawi women international striker, Tabitha Chawinga as history maker for becomingfirst African player to win the Italian Serie A Women’s Golden Boot Award.

The 27-year-old Inter Milan footballer — who has been highly lauded by Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera and the First Lady, Monica Chakwera for this achievement in which she scored 23 goals in the 2022/23 season — completed the campaign eight goals ahead of Juventus’ Cristiana Gireli.

A report on COSAFA website says: “Chawinga continues to add to her impressive list of achievements which include being the first footballer from Malawi to play for a European team, winning the Swedish third division Golden Boot for her 39 goals in 18 games, and between 2018 and 2021, she led the scoring charts in the Chinese Women’s Super League, winning Player of the Year honours in both 2018 and 2019.

Serie A website records that Tabitha Chawinga and Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir are the only players in the top five European leagues to have scored at least 15 goals without any penalties.

In a statement released on Monday morning, President Chakwera said he and the First Lady are “incredibly proud of Tabitha’s outstanding performance and her unwavering commitment to the sport”.

“The First Lady and I are delighted to extend our warmest congratulations to Tabitha Chawinga for her remarkable achievement,” he said, adding that her “historic accomplishment is a testament to her hard work, dedication, and talent”.

“As a nation, we must continue to support and invest in our athletes, particularly women, who have the potential to excel on the global stage, creating an enabling environment that promotes gender equality in sports and provides equal opportunities for all.

“Once again, we congratulate Tabitha Chawinga on her well-deserved recognition and wish her continued success in her career. May God bless Tabitha Chawinga, and many God bless Malawi,” said the Head of State.

In February, Italian website All For Sport, reported that the Malawi striker was showing no signs of slowing down as she led the race for the Golden Boot and made special mention of her achievement of a match against Roma, the season’s league leaders then.

The report said Inter Milan were down 0-2 with Roma dominating the first half, “topping Inter in possession and shots, and limiting the visitor’s opportunities”.

“Then, less than two minutes into the second half, a glimmer of hope for Inter — forward Tabitha Chawinga nets Inter’s first goal of the day bringing her season total to 14. Although Inter would go on to lose the match 2-3, Chawinga’s goal is emblematic of Inter’s current campaign.

“Her ability to turn a game around on a dime and tenacity to hunt for goals has given Inter an added confidence that has solidified the team as a true threat in Serie A this season.”

“Wherever Chawinga goes, success quickly follows. The Malawi native was the Chinese Women’s Super League top scorer in 2018, 2019, and 2021, and earned the league’s Player of the Season honors in 2018 and 2019.

“Chawinga is now bringing her talents to Italy via a loan to Inter from Wuhan Jianghan University FC. In September 2022, she was named Player of the Month in Serie A Femminile.”

Tabitha herself is quoted as saying of her dream mover to Inter: “I’m so happy. It was my dream to sign with this big team like Inter Milan. This is a very huge opportunity for me because every player has a dream to play for a big team like Inter, one of the biggest teams in the world. This opportunity to me is very important because I [want] to achieve many things in my football career.”

All For Sport acknowledged that Tabitha has brought a new breath of life for Inter saying the team finished 5th overall in the 2021/22 season, struggled to keep up with top teams, finishing nearly 20 points behind the eventual Scudetto winners Juventus — but once she joined them, Inter picked up form — “thanks in part to the goal scoring prowess of Chawinga”.

“In the team’s away match against Juventus, Chawinga demonstrated her ability to accelerate quickly, shake off multiple defenders, and anticipate the goalkeeper’s move, scoring the team’s first goal in their eventual 3-3 draw against last season’s champions.

“Chawinga would earn a brace in that game, with the game tying goal coming from Ghoutia Karchouni. Her ability to read a game and constant readiness has made her a vital contributor to the club’s success this season.”