Blessing "Yogo-Yogo" Makunike (born 24 January 1977 – 13 March 2004) was a Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

an international football player.

Club career

Blessing Makunike started his career in 1997 playing for Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League

Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League

Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, also known as Castle Lager Premier Soccer League due to sponsorship reasons, is the top professional division of the Zimbabwe Football Association, it was created in 1980, as a successor to the 1962 formed Rhodesia National Football League.The League consists of 16...

 club CAPS United F.C., where he played until the end of the 2002 season. Then he had a half season spell, together with his teammate Leonard Tsipa

Leonard Tsipa

Leonard "Aghahowa" Tsipa is an international Zimbabwean football striker that playes in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League side Gunners F.C..- Club career :...

 in Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

n club FK Javor. In the club was already playing another international Zimbabwean footballer Mike Temwanjera

Mike Temwanjera

Mike Temwanjera is a Zimbabwean footballer who currently plays for Romanian Liga I side FC Vaslui. He usually plays as a Centre forward, but he can also serve as a Second Striker. He is one of the longest serving players at his club, playing for Vaslui, since January 2007 and up to now he is...

 who, together with another African players, helped them to incorporate in the squad. Neverless, he and Leonard were back to CAPS in the next summer, playing the second semester of the 2003 Zimbabwean football season.

Car accident

On 13 March 2004, Blessing, together with another two players, Shingirai Alron and Gary Mashoko, and two supporters, burned to death in a car accident after their car hit the pillar of the bridge and caught fire. The tragedy marked the greatest loss of players lives in a single incident in Zimbabwean football.

Honours

CAPS United

CAPS United

CAPS United F.C. is a Zimbabwean soccer club based in Harare.Formed in 1973, the team rose to prominence in the late 1970s and early eighties when it was home to some of the finest ever Zimbabwean players. These include the feted striker Shacky "Mr...

• Zimbabwe Premier League
  Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League
  Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, also known as Castle Lager Premier Soccer League due to sponsorship reasons, is the top professional division of the Zimbabwe Football Association, it was created in 1980, as a successor to the 1962 formed Rhodesia National Football League.The League consists of 16...
  
   (1): 2004
• Zimbabwe Cup
  CBZ Cup
  The Cup of Zimbabwe is the top knockout tournament of the Zimbabwean football. It was created in 1962 as the Cup of Southern Rhodesia and was known between 1965 and 1980 as the Cup of Rhodesia...
  
   (3): 1997, 1998, 2004
• Independence Trophy
  Zimbabwean Independence Trophy
  The Zimbabwean Independence Trophy is an Zimbabwean association football knockout tournament. It was created as a clubs competition in 1983.- Winners :Previous winners are:*1983 : Dynamos FC *1984 : Dynamos FC...
  
   (1): 1997

International career

From 1998 to 2001 he played eight matches for the Zimbabwe national football team

Zimbabwe national football team

The Zimbabwe national football team, nicknamed The Warriors, is the national team of Zimbabwe and is controlled by the Zimbabwe Football Association. They were known as the Southern Rhodesia national football team from 1939–1964, then the Rhodesia national football team until 1980, when Rhodesia...

 having scored one goal.

External sources

• Blessing Makunike at National-Football-Teams.com
• Team profile in Geocities
• Blessing Makunike at Srbijafudbal.