David Kimba is increasing in fame

Who Is David Kimba?

David Kimba Kyakutala is a French teenage soccer superstar who plays as a Goalkeeper. He is known for his mass social media following and his incredible talent on the soccer field. David Kimba is a social media influencer on Instagram and has a following of 23 thousand followers. He is a semi professional goalkeeper who has trialed for Norwich academy and Newcastle Academy.

By 2020 — when he was just 16 years old — He was selected to play in the Gothia Cup ( The worlds biggest football youth tournament) but the tournament got canceled due to the rise in the rapid spread of the Covid-19 infections.

In the 2019 GGT final, David kept a record clean sheet of 5 out of 7. He set a franchise record for clean sheets kept in 2019, before Old Parks offered him a contract for his services the following year. 

In that same year, David participated in an indoor Tournament with his friends who were also his high school team mates. His team made it through to the finals and were crowned winners of the tournament.

Among his many accomplishments, he has won a record-tying eight Goalkeeper awards for player of the year, and led I.R Griffith primary school to an emotional victory in the 2017 Discovery Championship. In January 2018, David embarked on a new phase of his career by going to a High-school (High-school not mentioned).

Early Life

David Kimba was born on March 22, 2004, in Motare, Zimbabwe , a part on the western coast of the country. David is the oldest of three children born to Raoul Mwabeya Kyakutala and Clemence Mbale Kyakutala and his siblings being Dan Kyakutala and Brian Mbale. He was named after David, the historical biblical being that is known for his defeat on Goliath. The name David means “A man after God’s own heart.”

David grew up in a largely working class neighborhood in a decent sized roofed home that overlooked the a large amount of land. David was introduced to the game of soccer through his peers.

His early life was shaped by hardship, as he often got bullied so much. To help keep the children fed and maintain some financial stability, Davids mother worked as a Lawyer and his father as a Voice Polygrapher.

David recalled his beginning to the game of football and how his love for the game progressed through the VNW podcast stating,

“Back in fourth grade, we always played against the older grades at break time and we lost every single time. It was not fun anymore. We kept on losing because everyone was too scared to take the position of goalkeeper because they were afraid of handling shots from older kids. Then one day, I just decided to take the position because I thought it wouldn’t be a bad experience. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I was saving everything and being that heroic goalkeeper. It was a rough experience for me, I made many mistakes, and I grew from that and I began to develop into the guy I am today. I constantly wanted to seek improvements into the position and from that I began to find more love for the game, and it made me who I am today. I have no regrets.”

By the time David was 10 years old, he was already recognized as a phenomenon — a kid who ate, slept and drank soccer. "All he wanted to do as a boy was play football," his grandmother, Josephine Kyakutala , recalled for British reporters, adding, "He loved the game so much he'd miss meals or escape out of his bedroom with a ball when he was supposed to be doing his homework."

By his early teens, David’s talent and legend had grown considerably. After a stint with the Crusaders , he signed with Old Parks in 2019.

In 2019, when David was playing for his high school team, his childhood best friend died from kidney problems; in 2020, another one of his friends was diagnosed with Leukemia. The former was especially hard for David Kimba since he and his friends were close.

After dropping hints that his time with Old Parks was coming to an end, David confirmed the rumors in July 2021 by trialing at English Premier League club Norwich.

David paid tribute to fans in an open letter on the club's website, writing: "These years playing football and in this city of London and Johannesburg have quite possibly been the happiest years of my life. I only have feelings of great gratitude to this club, to the fans and to the city. I can only give thanks to all of them for the love and affection that I have received."

By most measures, Davids debut trial with Norwich was a successful one. He saved 4 penalties in his first 11 games.

After his successful season in his high school team, he was named the teams MVP in May 2018.

Personal Life

David is currently in high school in Johannesburg and has refused to state the high school he attends because of security reasons.

Interview

David was asked about his hobbies and everyday routines

“You know, I love to keep myself busy. I simply hate being bored because it’s a complete waste of time. I love to watch Anime and play sports. I don’t really like going out to gatherings and stuff like that, it’s just who I am. I don’t drink, smoke or even party. I’m just chilling and I love it. I enjoy drawing, doing activities which require a huge amount of creativity. I choose to be different from others. I do get made fun of my ways and the way I live my life but you know, that’s how it is. I am destined to learn new things and I am constantly curious about life itself and it’s meaning. I am a religious person, I believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as my Lord and Savior. He is the number one most important person in my entire life. I can’t live without him.”