Amavubi skipper Haruna Niyonzima has described featuring in the FIFA Century Club as an exciting honor worth celebrating in his international football career.
The FIFA’s Century Club only includes players who have played 100 or more "A" (senior) internationals for their country and the midfielder, who made his senior international debut for Rwanda in 2006, achieved the feat after featuring 104 times for Amavubi, to become the only Rwandan footballer to reach a century of caps in the senior national team history.
Haruna was recognised by the World football governing body (FIFA) on Tuesday, November 9, along with world renowned footballers and legends such as German World Cup winner Per Mertesacker.
FIFA recognises only matches played within the FIFA World Cup (including preliminary competitions), continental competitions (including qualifiers), friendly matches between senior national teams and Olympic final and qualifying matches since 1948.
The football governing body (Ferwafa) president Olivier Nizeyimana congratulated the midfielder as he marked his 105th international appearance during Amavubi’s 3-0 home defeat to Mali in a 2022 World Cup qualifier at Kigali Stadium.
Speaking to Times Sport, Niyonzima described achieving over a century of national team call ups as a valuable milestone.
"I was so excited to feature in the [FIFA Century] Club. It is really a worthwhile experience,” he said.
"It wasn’t easy to achieve it but it’s thanks to God, and of course discipline, that I managed to get there,” he added.
Haruna has so far scored six times for the national team, with two of them coming during his first appearance in the national team, during Rwanda’s home victory over Guinea in 2007 as the country sought a ticket to the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
"Scoring a brace on my national team debut remains my best moment in this jersey,” he recalls.
He could have extended his international caps during Rwanda’s away game against Kenya in Nairobi but the veteran didn’t travel with the national team citing personal reasons.