In the 51 years of the club’s existence, SC Villa has produced a long list of top players. It is on that basis that they are the country’s most successful football club.
However, amidst that a host of the club faithful argue about who their best players have been. In fact, I was recently challenged by a club official about who I thought was the Jogoos’ best player ever, and instead of engaging in a shouting match, I have decided to put my feelings on paper.
It should be noted, that I was particularly tickled into the need to put this matter to rest, when a Villa fan, Allan Lwanga, based in England picked Sula Kato as the club’s best player of all time.
Another gentleman, Robert Musoke in Jinja believes it is Dennis Onyango, while Bushira Adam noted that the late Majid Musisi is second to none. Yet, for a renowned Villa fan, Meddie Ssembajja, also known as Katanyonta, the late Paul Edwin Hasule is indisputable.
Former SC Villa chairman, Capo Franco Mugabe was also for Hasule all the way. I would be interested to know who the current Villa honcho, Omar Ahmed Mandela would pick as his favourite Villa player of all time.
Mandela used to love Andrew ‘Fimbo’ Mukasa. But anyway, without further ado, let me put my two cents forward on the matter. Hasule is undeniably the face of Villa. If there was anything like a Mister Villa, that would be Hasule in every sense of the word.
You see, Hasule ticked every single box there was to tick at Villa Park. From longevity, to loyalty, leadership, discipline, character, inspiration, and the winning mentality, Hasule brought it all to the table.
From the time he left Mbale Heroes, known as Gangama FC at the time, to join Villa at the back-end of 1981 aged 22, while a student at Makerere University, Hasule spent all his life at Villa. He inspired quite a lot that was unthinkable for a club that was not anywhere near the oldest in Uganda’s top-flight league.
But Hasule was instrumental in building the pedigree that made Villa a force to reckon with at home, in the region, and on the continent. Hasule was the epitome of versatility. He effectively played across the defence, as he adeptly filled roles at both right-back and centre-half.
Furthermore, when there was a problem to solve in midfield, there was Hasule, something he did not only do at Villa but even in Uganda Cranes colours. Due to Hasule’s exceptional technique, ball distribution and brilliant tackling, he was a monster to opponents.
In fact, many believed he was the heartbeat of the “never say die” attitude that defined Villa. Hasule was the reason Villa were unbreakable and hard to defeat. Even in the most hopeless of situations, he kept going, and as the band leader, everyone else on the Villa team of the 1980s to the 1990s never knew defeat when Hasule led them.
Hasule served as club captain for eight years and later coached the Jogoos, guiding the club to incredible success. It is because of what he had formed at Villa, that he became Uganda Cranes Captain, too, back in 1988, guiding Uganda to two Cecafa titles in 1989 and 1990, the first one coming after a 12-year drought.
In his famous shirt number 2, Hasule was nicknamed V8. At the time, the Toyota Land Cruiser V8 was the most powerful and prestigious SUV, which the rich and mighty drove. That is what Hasule was compared to. In the famous blue shirt, Hasule is best described as an athlete of unbelievable stamina, stature, physique, and will-power.
He had fantastic ball control, and incredible heading capability. He was authority personified, something seen in his natural leadership qualities; he was not only a coach on the field, but a truly gigantic institution that even the club’s top hierarchy greatly respected.
During Hasule’s playing career between 1982 and 1993, Villa won eight league titles, four Uganda Cup trophies and one Cecafa club championship. Incidentally, Hasule’s maiden contribution was not about simply aiding Villa to its first league title in 1982, but he was part of a water-tight backline that ensured Villa remained the only Ugandan side to complete the league unbeaten.
Notably, Villa were the first club to win a league and cup double in 1986. That was under the captaincy of Hasule. They repeated that in 1988 and 1989. Incidentally, during his reign as skipper, the only season Villa went trophyless, was when Hasule was banned in 1991, after he was adjudged to have pushed a referee during an altercation in a league game played in Tororo.
Nonetheless, Hasule ensured that Villa reached the Caf Champions League final in 1991 and the Caf Cup final in 1992. No other Ugandan club has ever realized such a continental feat. Yet, beyond that, Hasule also coached Villa to league success from 1998 to 2001.
During that same period, Villa won the Uganda Cup in 1998 and 2000, but lost the Cecafa Club Championship final on spot-kicks in 1999 to Yanga FC of Tanzania. By the time of his passing in April 2004, Hasule had set a pretty high bar for many Villa players and coaches that would come after him, and without a doubt, it looks unbeatable.
That said, it is worth noting that Hasule’s closest challenger for the greatest of all time gong at Villa is indisputably, Musisi. It is because of his goals, that Villa became a force to reckon with on the continent.
By the time Musisi turned professional in 1992, where he starred for Stade Rennes in France, he was ranked among the top 10 strikers in world football, behind the likes of George Weah, among others.
In a way, Musisi was a trailblazer, who showed that he could consistently score goals at every level. That was after he had destroyed defences for Villa against all sorts of opponents. If at Arsenal a statue of their best trio, including Thierry Henry, Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp was erected, at Villa, a similar monument should include the duo of Hasule and Musisi.
As I conclude, others deserving special mention as Villa’s great players behind Hasule and Musisi, include:
EDGAR WATSON
He arrived at SC Villa in 1995 because of the impact he made after he was signed from Miracle FC. Watson was handed the club’s arm-band in 1998 and the midfield gem swung into action, guiding the club to three doubles (1998, 2000 and 2002). In total he won seven league titles, three Uganda Cups and one Cecafa Cup title.
WILLIAM NKEMBA
He was a one team player, having joined SC Villa in 1984 as a student from St. Mary’s College, Kisubi. He was a cool- headed defender who played all the defence roles between 1987-1995.
The electrical engineer won almost everything with the club, including seven league titles, three Uganda Cups and one Cecafa Cup title. After retirement in 1995, he has been part of the club management to-date.
RONNIE VUBYA
The midfielder-cum-forward joined SC Villa in 1983 from Mukono based Lufula FC. Vubya had it all: The looks, the charm, and the talent. He dazzled fans with his phenomenal abilities on the wing or as a centre-forward.
He was a unique talent whose pace and skill left the opposition chasing shadows. He left SC Villa in 1990 and relocated to the United Kingdom where he lives today.
EDWARD NASSAMBA
SC Villa has had some really wonderful goalkeepers. Not least were Jamil Kasirye and Mike Mukasa, to be honest. Yet, there is little dispute about the fact that Edward Nassamba, who joined Villa from Uganda Commercial Bank (UCB) FC in 1983 is the club’s greatest goalkeeper, and obviously among the club’s elite class of footballers for his service.
The giant goalkeeper was invaluable during the club’s most dominant years, when they won doubles in 1986, 1988 and 1989. He was unbeatable. Little went past him. Nassamba’s true qualities were further shown in the club’s Cecafa Club Championship winning year in 1987.
hajjhassanbadruzziwa@gmail.com
How come Uganda is not producing players of this caliber anymore?
I had the opportunity to attend a Villa training session at Rubaga SS. Ronnie Vubya, Magid Musisi and Co. were all there. It was exciting and eye opening session. Very memorable. Some players had just come back from a Cranes camp.
So after the SC Villa training session, players plotted how to “take care” of KCC FC players in the next Cranes camp. Most of concern was Phillip Omondi. The consensus was to leave Omondi alone. Someone (I will not name) said, “Omujaluwo mumuveko. You will get hurt trying to hit him.” He then gave a detailed account of how someone got injured trying to hit Phillip Omondi.
It was hilarious! The Cranes coaches must have had a tough time trying to create a cohesive team from rivaling players.
V8 was a Land Rover then not a Land Cruiser