“I feel refreshed after the Fifa-break,” Willard Katsande comments after returning from Zimbabwe’s successful 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. “I am ready again for club duty.”

Zimbabwe collected a point in Swaziland, before beating Sihlangu Semnikati (King's Shield) 4-0 at home. As a result of this, The Warriors are now three points clear of their nearest rivals in Group L.

“I still get goose bumps when I get a national call-up,” the hard-tackling Kaizer Chiefs midfielder says. “I always get sentimental when representing my country. I am living a childhood dream.”

Katsande, who is Zimbabwe’s national team captain, reveals: “From a young age people always told me I had potential, but I thought that people just wanted to flatter me.”

“The results with Zimbabwe refreshed my motivation,” adds the midfielder, “especially as we had a slump in form at Club level.”

Katsande returned to reunite with his Amakhosi teammates on Wednesday morning and is raring to go: “We are going to resume our league programme in a week’s time. I can’t wait.”

Chiefs’ next fixture is on the road against Mpumalanga Black Aces at Nelspruit’s Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday, 12 April (kick-off is at 19:30).