Scottish football has seen many prolific goalscorers in recent decades: Kris Boyd, Henrik Larsson, Leigh Griffiths, Daizen Maeda, and now Tawanda Maswanhise. The Motherwell forward has impressed in the SPFL this year and The Student spoke to him to discover more.
Maswanhise was born in Zimbabwe into a family of athletes and moved to the UK at the age of two. While his brothers followed their parents into athletics, the 23-year-old had other plans: “I did think about going into athletics, but no, football was always the one for me.”
When asked if his family ever pushed him towards athletics and away from football, he insists the opposite is true: “I think he (his father) pushed more for the football… he’s just tired of seeing people run all of his life.”
His father Jeffrey must then be exhausted at this point, watching his son dart across the pitch for more than a decade, now in claret and amber, and formerly in royal blue — Maswanhise signed his first contract with Leicester City aged nine, staying with the club for twelve more years.
During his time at the academy, he witnessed Leicester win the Premier League against all odds: “To be fair, watching Mahrez and others back then was like stars in my eyes. You realise ‘Yeah, these are the players you want to be like’.”
It becomes clear that Riyad Mahrez was the Leicester player he adored above all. Maswanhise explains: “I have the same, like, body type (as him). I wanted to try and replicate that stuff. So Mahrez, he was the one, the star man. He was too good.”
Maswanhise’s optimism remains resolute despite Leicester’s recent decline; relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, his boyhood club are currently a meager 14th in the Championship. Maswanhise acknowledges that the club is struggling but insists it will bounce back — in his opinion, expensive contracts and an incoherent transfer strategy have been important factors towards the club’s fall from grace.
When asked if he has received any calls from the club to return and alleviate their struggles, he laughs, and denies any such approaches. “I have heard nothing, but hopefully they do get back to it, honestly. They are a big club.”
How Zimbabwe’s Mahrez ended up playing in Scotland for Motherwell is a story of chance. According to Maswanhise, a new deal at Leicester fell through due to internal politics at the club, and he left the Foxes in 2024 at the age of 21. Then a free agent, he attracted interest from clubs in Germany, England, and France, where he even had a trial lined up.
While training on his own and keeping his options open, he received a call from Scotland inviting him to a friendly game against Everton. After a quick internet search about the club, Maswanhise decided: “Motherwell, Scottish Premiership. Okay cool, let me go try this.”
The game went well, and what was initially just a day in Scotland soon became a six-month contract when the season started. He says “it just went uphill from there, really. Got my groove again,” and Motherwell soon extended his contract to keep him at Fir Park for 2025/26.
This season, it is not only Maswanhise who has found his groove, but the entire Motherwell team. The Steelmen are currently third in the league, picking up 26 points from their first 16 games.
“Motherwell is not traditionally a top six side but, obviously, we’re doing well. People are attracted to our playing style.”
When asked how the club’s Danish coach, Jens Bertel Askou, wants the team to play, the forward stresses the importance Askou designates to possession, overloads, and build-up play from the back.
Maswanhise is also pleased with his new role on the right side of the pitch. “Last year I was playing on the centre-left. He has taken my pace as an advantage, making runs down the line. A lot of teams are finding it hard; whether to get close to me or protect the space in behind.”
When asked about his ability to always get straight back up after being challenged, he assures me it is an intentional and crucial part of his game: “If I don’t bounce back up, a lot of tougher teams will see that as a weakness in my game. There are some times where I do try to draw in the foul but if I feel like I’m still on my feet, I will still get there.”
Maswanhise reveals that Askou is less interested in drawing fouls than his previous coaches, but notes that he is increasingly targeted with every goal scored. Although “they will make their gameplan to try and get me out of the game as much as they can,” this can help to draw the opponent’s attention away from his teammates.
Maswanhise considers the level of physicality on the pitch the biggest difference between the football played in Scotland and England. He deems the English style more “technical,” while the Scots play a more “ruthless” game.
Regarding the extent to which he has seen Scotland beyond Glasgow and Motherwell, Maswanhise admits it has primarily been from the window of a bus or the view from an away game. He names Dundee as his favourite place to visit, primarily because of his brilliant performances and goals against both clubs in the city.
These outings have become a habit for Maswanhise this season, and he hopes to continue this form moving forward. It would be a surprise were he to finish as the SPFL’s top scorer this season, but one which the Zimbabwean would certainly deserve.
Image Credits: “Fir Park, Motherwell. – geograph.org.uk – 219204” by Colin Smith is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.