Like someone hoping to receive a Christmas gift they have really, really wanted for ages, footballer Macauley Bonne is trying to keep his level of excitement in check. There is a huge gulf between playing for Essex club Maldon & Tiptree in the eighth tier of English football and representing Zimbabwe at the Africa Cup of Nations. It is 11 years since the former Leyton Orient and Ipswich Town player made a goalscoring debut for Zimbabwe, the country where his parents were born, and he has only played four more times since then. "I was quite emotional (when I made the squad) because of the way things have gone for me in football over the past few years," Bonne told BBC Essex. I'm so happy, I can't explain it."

Source: BBC December 22, 2025 13:44 UTC