André Mazimpaka played in goal since he was a small boy, and steadily developed into a polished product that went on to sign for top tier clubs in the country.

The 31-year-old played a pivotal role as Rayon Sports clinched the 2018/19 Rwanda Premier League title – the club’s 9th championship.

In an exclusive interview with Weekend Sport on Wednesday, Mazimpaka said that being a goalkeeper is fulfilling and has taught him to own up to his mistakes and learn from them, which he insists is not only an important lesson in football, but also in life outside the sport.

In February 2019, he was named Rayon Sports Player of the Month after keeping three clean sheets in as many victories; against Etincelles (1-0), Mukura (3-0) and Sunrise (1-0). Mazimpaka was the first goalkeeper to scoop the club’s monthly award since its inception in 2018.

At the time, he had only conceded two goals in his last nine games with the Blues.

From Rayon, he joined Gasogi United in July 2020 and has since pulled off some stunning individual exploits where he has kept ten clean sheets in 18 appearances with the club.

How he ended up as a goaltender

Mazimpaka’s love for sports can be traced back to when he was a little boy, and tried out various disciplines during his primary school days. Among others, he participated in basketball and volleyball.

"My father too was a big fan of football, he would make sure he follows and listens to his favorite matches both locally and internationally. As a kid, I got used to it, and with time, I found myself falling in love with the sport,” he recalls.

The soft-spoken goalie narrates that since he was busy in basketball and volleyball, he had never imagined he could be in football until one day when the school’s goalkeeper sustained an injury a few days before a match, and Mazimpaka was brought on as an emergency replacement.

He remembers his headteacher asking him to help play in the goal because his height.

"This came as a surprise, and I had no option but to give in. After that match, I then started training on being a goalkeeper. To me, this came easily because I was already a football fan – because of my father – though I had not taken part in it before.”

Since then, he says, he never looked back. And, he went further to drop the other sports to fully focus on learning and harnessing his goalkeeping skills.

Strides, the future

In his footballing career since his professional debut, Mazimpaka has featured for various clubs including, La Jeunesse, Mukura, Musanze FC, Rayon Sports, Burundi’s Vital’o and SC Kiyovu.

But, he says, the challenge continues. Mazimpaka now eyes a career in video analysis and plans to take courses and acquiring skills in the field. He also wants to go into coaching after retirement, and possibly opening a football academy.

"I believe video analysis will help me provide immediate feedback to players. It is through video analysis that one can be able to show and correct mistakes instantly,” he told this publication.

He added: "Players are also able to see what they are doing and ultimately retain the information better, which is something any coach would love to see happening.”

Besides his achievement on field, Mazimpaka also credits football for enabling him to build a decent home and providing for his family – something he says he is very proud of as a father.