WARRIORS midfielder Marshall Munetsi has signed a one-year contract extension at French Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims.
The new contract which will see keep Munetsi at Reims until June 2027, also includes a clause where the French side will donate €100 to the player’s foundation for evert every kilometre he runs.
Known for his exceptional athletic qualities, the 26-year-old box-to-box midfielder is widely acknowledged for being the most hardworking player in the French Ligue 1, regularly topping the charts for distance covered during matches.
According to reports in France, Munetsi, who donates 10% of his salary to his foundation, is ranked second on the list of outfield players to have covered the most distance in a Ligue 1 this season.
His hard work on the field of play is set to directly benefit the Marshall Munetsi Foundation, which the player has been using to provide access to education for children from underprivileged communities by paying their tuition fees and providing various donations since 2019.
The clause in Munetsi’s new contract is set to take effect from Saturday when Reims host Lille.
Spectators and television viewers will be able to follow live the number of kilometres covered by the player, as well as his monetisation displayed in real time on the big screens of the stadium.
Stade de Reims general manager Mathieu Lacour said it was important for the club to support Munetsi’s charity initiatives.
“We added a new clause in his contract, a kind of mileage bonus. It was important to us to promote this type of personal initiative. It is customary to caricature football and the professional footballer as being disconnected from the world around him. Marshall, through his actions, helps to silence certain prejudices,” Lacour said.
Lacour added that Reims’ move to secure Munetsi’s future was a “strong signal” of their plans to take the club to the next level after a successful season thus far.
“By managing to keep our major elements, we are entering a new phase of the project. We do not simply extend the player, but also the man. It may sound a bit cliché and that’s why it was important to follow the words with concrete actions, ” he added.
Munetsi, who has earned 23 international caps with the Warriors has been enjoying an impressive campaign in the French topflight league.
The gifted Zimbabwe international has played 29 Ligue 1 games this season, scoring six goals and providing three assists and was recently nominated for the prestigious Marc-Vivien Foe award, which is awarded annually to the best African player in the French top flight league.
Munetsi’s contract extension comes at a time when he has been linked with a move to English Premier League sides including Bournemouth and Brighton and Hove Albion, who have shown all been reportedly monitoring his progress.
