AS KIGALI women football club’s striker Callixte Iradukunda has insisted that her focus is not collecting individual awards but rather to help the team success. The Rwanda international has been the league’s top-scorer for the last three seasons.
Since joining AS Kigali in early 2017, Iradukunda has scored 60 league goals, helping them to two championships and a second position last season.
She netted 21 times for the local giants in her debut season, 12 goals during the 2018 season and 22 goals last season as she saw Rubavu-based Scandinavia club dethrone her side after ten years at the helm where they won ten league titles back-to-back between 2009 and 2018.
Before the 2019-20 season was brought to a halt in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sensational striker had five goals from seven matches.
Callixte Iradukunda celebrates after scoring an equaliser during a friendly match between Rwanda and DR Congo at Umuganda Stadium on March 2019. Photos: Courtesy.
But for her, she says, the team’s overall work is more important than his personal goal count. "Of course I enjoy scoring goals and improving my game, and I think every player would wish for the same. But, the team collective must always come first, it is the most important thing.”
"Scoring goals would not be possible without the help of my teammates, and also winning for the team would be difficult if we don’t score enough goals. That is why nothing can replace team effort in football,” she noted.
However, despite her enviable achievements and positive influence, Iradukunda stresses that she still has a long way to go and "I won’t relax until I reach my full potential.”
"It is all down to discipline and hard work, and the challenge continues. I want to keep my level up and improve as much as possible. Hopefully one day I can get a contract with a professional club.”
Sad and happy moments
Without hesitation, 28-year old Iradukunda says that missing out a call-up in the national team that played the 2018 Cecafa Women’s Senior Challenge – when she was the league’s top scorer – remains the biggest disappointment of her football career.
"I even considered retiring. Representing the country is every player’s dream, and I was denied that chance when it was very obvious that I deserved to be on the team. I was very disappointed.”
Rayon Sports legend Jean Baptiste Kayiranga was in charge of the team that finished bottom of the regional competition, which was claimed by Tanzania. Uganda were the runners-up, Ethiopia scooped the bronze medal, while Kenya finished fourth.
Her second painful moment, Iradukunda adds, is AS Kigali’s thumping 3-0 defeat to rivals Scandinavia in the national league last season.
"The defeat was painful for everyone at the club, and took us a while to recover.”
On the hand, she regards her proudest moment as last year’s equaliser when Rwanda and DR Congo played out a 1-all draw in an international friendly match at Umuganda Stadium.
"I sprinted between two defenders before scoring with my left foot. Having come off the bench to rescue a draw, it was the best feeling.”
Rwanda came from behind to force a draw against DR Congo’s Olympic team. Flavine Mawete Musolo put the visitors ahead in the 26th minute before Iradukunda came on as a second-half substitute to level the matters in the 73rd minute.
Iradukunda previously played for Inyemera, Rambura, Bugesera and Kamonyi. It was from the latter that she switched to AS Kigali at the start of the 2016/2017 season.