Kaizer Chiefs icon William Shongwe is optimistic that Rwandan goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari will succeed at the club.

Ntwari, 24, moved to the fold of "Amakhosi" last month from TS Galaxy for a reported fee of $400,000 transfer fee.

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Shongwe, a former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper, in an interview, has backed him to do well for the club, saying he expects him to be the number one choice for the head coach.

"This season I think Fiacre Ntwari will be the number one goalkeeper. They have signed him because they believe he can do the job at Chiefs. He performed very well at TS Galaxy last season taking the team from fighting against relegation to finishing in the top eight,” Shongwe said.

Born in Musanze District, northern Rwanda, Ntwari's journey began on the streets and residential areas of his hometown where he enjoyed playing soccer with friends.

His love for the game later led him to the capital, Kigali, where he joined the APR FC Academy in 2015 after featuring for various youth teams in Musanze.

While in Kigali, he did not find it easy to kick-on. The prospect of playing for APR’s first team proved challenging as he faced limited playing time due to a number of experienced goalkeepers at the club.

Playing for APR’s junior team "Intare FC,” he kept putting in the hard work and soon, his talent began to be noticed by the national team’s technical bench.

His breakthrough at club level came in 2018 when he moved to Marines FC on a loan deal. While at the club, he got more playing time and managed to showcase his skills which earned him a move to AS Kigali.

Since then, things started to change for the youngster as a few years later he would even get a deal outside of Rwanda.

Kaizer Chiefs will open their 2024/25 DSTV Premier League account against Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein on September 14.