Muhadjiri Hakizimana is undoubtedly a household name in Rwanda. The Rubavu-born attacking midfielder has been among the notable players in the country for the past decade and he was one of the standout performers in the just-concluded 2023/24 Primus National League season. But, surprisingly, he failed to make Amavubi final squad that traveled for Abidjan on Monday night for the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Benin on June 6. He will also miss Rwanda’s qualifier against Lesotho on June 11. Despite his talent, it hasn't been rousey for the 29-year-old as he has been in and out of the national team. Since making his Amavubi debut exactly 8 years ago (June 4, 2016) in an AFCON qualifier against Mozambique, he has gone on to play 33 international games scoring 7 goals which is fair enough for an attacking midfielder. He last played for Amavubi on June 7, 2022 in an AFCON qualifier against Senegal in which he played seven minutes. He was overlooked during his spell in Saudi Arabia before being invited again after hitting the form in the 2023/24 season with Police FC. ALSO READ: Amavubi beat Madagascar in Antananarivo Despite Police FC's abysmal performance in the second round of the Primus National League, Muhadjiri was arguably their best player scoring 10 league goals in the campaign. In January, Rwanda coach Torsten Spittler lauded Muhadjiri's talent but admitted that the player doesn't have a definite position. He is a good player, he dribbles, you can find him on the right, left, midfield and even at the back. When you use a player like him, the team must be built around him, Spittler said of Muhadjiri. Muhadjiri has skills with the ball on his feet. He enjoys playing and showboating and, when the chance comes, he scores. From most of Police FC games, he hardly tackles and it sometimes serves as a deficit for his club. It makes the number 6 and 8 overworked when they are defending. And, during Rwanda’s recent friendly games in Madagascar, Muhadjiri would only come in as a substitute. He was deployed as a number 10 but he couldn't adapt to the system of play of Spittlerwho wants his number 10 to be workaholic by defending as well. Let's not forget that, after the World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe in November, Spittler told the press that his number 10 must tackle and he admitted that though Hakim Sahabo is offensively good, he has lapses defensively. Consequently, the German gaffer dropped Sahabo against South Africa and started Kevin Muhire as his number 10 with the Standard Liege youngster coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute. Now Sahabo has improved defensively to cement his place and he tracks back to join the 6 when Amavubi are defending as he could be seen from Amavubi recent matches. Spittler is spoiled for choice. Aside from Muhire and Sahabo, he also has Samuel Gueulette who can play 6, 8 and 10 as well as Jojea Kwizera who also plays the number 8 and number 10 positions for Rhode Island FC in the USL. All these players have better defensive abilities than Muhadjiri. Spittler has no question about Muhadjiri’s talent. His decision to snub him from his final selection was purely based on his tactical reasons considering that the Police star can barely be the coach’s go-to man defensively. Rwanda will be playing their next two World Cup qualifiers away from home and the strategic approaches are different. For Muhadjiri to break into this current Amavubi team as a number 10, he must improve his work rate and his defensive abilities. He must be able to track back and help the number 6 and 8 which is what Spittler wants from Sahabo and Muhire. All is not lost for Muhadjiri; he has a bit of time to change his style of play to suit Spittler’s philosophy if he wants to be back quickly in Amavubi squad for subsequent games.
