View source for Godfrey Chitalu

{{short description|Zambian footballer (1947–1993)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Godfrey Chitalu
| image = Godfrey Chitalu (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 180px
| caption = Chitalu in 1993
| fullname = Godfrey Kangwa Chitalu
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1947|10|22}}
| birth_place = [[Luanshya]], [[Northern Rhodesia]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1993|4|27|1947|10|22}}
| death_place = [[Atlantic Ocean]], off [[Gabon]]
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| youthyears1 = 1957–1959
| youthclubs1 = Fisansa Youth Club
| youthyears2 = 1959–1962
| youthclubs2 = Kwacha I Community Centre
| years1 = 1964–1970
| clubs1 = [[Kitwe United F.C.|Kitwe United]]
| caps1 = 200+
| goals1 = 176+
| years2 = 1971–1982
| clubs2 = [[Kabwe Warriors F.C.|Kabwe Warriors]]
| caps2 = 500+
| goals2 = 314+
| totalcaps = 700+
| totalgoals = 490+ <ref>{{Cite book|last=Muchimba|first=Jerry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i1_9CQAAQBAJ&dq=Chitalu+gets+the+nod&pg=PA235|title=Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu|date=2015-05-28|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-78462-220-6|pages=222–226|language=en}}</ref> 
| nationalyears1 = 1968–1980
| nationalteam1 = [[Zambia national football team|Zambia]]
| nationalcaps1 = 111
| nationalgoals1 = [[List of international goals scored by Godfrey Chitalu|79]]
| manageryears1 = 1984–1986
| managerclubs1 = [[Kabwe Warriors F.C.|Kabwe Warriors]]
| manageryears2 = 1991–1993
| managerclubs2 = [[Kabwe Warriors F.C.|Kabwe Warriors]]
| manageryears3 = 1993
| managerclubs3 = [[Zambia national football team|Zambia]]
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Association football|football]]}}
{{Medal|Country|{{fb| ZAM}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Africa Cup of Nations]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[1974 African Cup of Nations|1974 Egypt]]|}}
}}

'''Godfrey Chitalu''' (22 October 1947 – 27 April 1993), nicknamed '''Ucar''', was a Zambian [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Forward (association football)|forward]]. He is widely regarded as the greatest Zambian player of all time as he holds [[Zambia national football team|his national team]]'s goalscoring record and was voted Zambian footballer of the year five times.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=The Post (Zambia)|title=Lest we forget them|author=Zimba, Jack|url=http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=5173|date=31 January 2010|access-date=27 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218162443/http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=5173|archive-date=18 December 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bolazambia.com/index.php/component/content/article/88-more-football/413|title=Samuel "Zoom" Ndhlovu: True Zambian Legend|publisher=Bolazambia|access-date=9 July 2012|first=Jerry|last=Muchimba|date=24 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://simbasports.iquebec.com/interviewndaye.htm |title=Interview with Ndaye Mulamba Living Legend |publisher=Simbasports |access-date=17 June 2009 |first=Emmanuel |last=Maradas |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907231719/http://simbasports.iquebec.com/interviewndaye.htm |archive-date=7 September 2009 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dennis Liwewe talks to Fast Track|date=9 May 2002|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/1977739.stm|publisher=BBC|access-date=10 June 2009}}</ref><ref name=records>{{cite web|title=Zambia National Team Appearance and Scoring Records|url=http://www.zambianfootball.co.zm/?p=2050|publisher=Zamfoot|access-date=23 November 2012|author=Jerry Muchimba|date=9 November 2012}}</ref><ref>Chibulu, Musonda "Stars of yester-year – Solly Pandor: True Zambian Legend" ''Zambia Daily Mail,'' 14 August 2010 p.10</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thescore.ie/profile-before-lionel-messi-there-was-godfrey-chitalu-718210-Dec2012/ |title=Profile: Before Lionel Messi, there was Godfrey Chitalu |publisher=The Score |access-date=16 December 2012 |date=17 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121219001405/http://www.thescore.ie/profile-before-lionel-messi-there-was-godfrey-chitalu-718210-Dec2012/ |archive-date=19 December 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.supersport.com/football/zambia/news/121213/Chitalus_record_spins_football_world|title=Chitalu's record spins football world|publisher=Supersport|access-date=17 December 2012|first=Claudia|last=Ekai|date=13 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20121213-zambia-chitalu-more-goals-messi|title=Zambia's Chitalu 'scored more goals than Messi'|publisher=France24|access-date=17 December 2012|first=Sophie|last=Pilgrim|date=17 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://futbol.as.com/futbol/2012/12/15/primera/1355534748_319085.html|title=Kamanga: "El Derby County vino dos veces para fichar a Chitalu"|publisher=as.com|access-date=15 December 2012|first=Jose|last=Guerrero|date=15 December 2012}}</ref> In 2006, he was selected by [[Confederation of African Football|CAF]] as one of the best 200 African footballers of the past 50 years.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Sport24.gr|title=Οι 200 κορυφαίοι Αφρικανοί|trans-title=The top 200 Africans|url=http://www.sport24.gr/football/article273152.ece?service=print|date=25 October 2006|access-date=15 October 2011|archive-date=3 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703133549/http://www.sport24.gr/football/article273152.ece?service=print|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Football Association of Zambia]] claimed that Chitalu scored more than 100 goals in all competitions in 1972, more than [[Gerd Müller]]'s total in the same year and [[Lionel Messi]]'s total in 2012, both of which are often referred to by journalist as "world records".<ref name=history>{{cite web|title=Super League History|url=http://www.fazfootball.com/content/super-league-history/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113171347/http://www.fazfootball.com/content/super-league-history/|archive-date=13 January 2012|url-status=usurped|publisher=Football Association of Zambia|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1440990-godfrey-chitalu-did-zambian-striker-score-more-goals-than-lionel-messi|title=Godfrey Chitalu: Did Zambian Striker Score More Goals Than Lionel Messi?|date=11 December 2012|access-date=29 March 2013|first=Michael|last=Cummings|publisher=Bleacher Report}}</ref> The research was presented in the year 2012 after Messi broke the alleged world record of Müller. Nevertheless, a [[FIFA]] spokesman declared that an official FIFA world record had never existed as they did not keep track of domestic competitions.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20727929|title=FIFA refuses to back Lionel Messi or Godfrey Chitalu for goal record|date=14 December 2012|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=15 December 2012}}</ref>

Upon retirement, Chitalu took to coaching and was in charge of the [[Zambia national football team|Zambia national team]] when the [[1993 Zambia national football team air disaster|entire squad perished in a plane crash]] off the coast of [[Gabon]] on 27 April 1993.

==Early life==
Godfrey Kangwa Chitalu was born in [[Luanshya]], on the [[Copperbelt Province]], where his father Lucian Chitalu worked as a miner and also served as a Local Court Justice, while his mother Emeriah Chitalu was a housewife.<ref name="jerry">{{cite book |last1=Muchimba |first1=Jerry |title=Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu |date=2015 |publisher=Matador |location=UK |isbn=978-1784622-206 |page=16}}</ref> He grew up in Section 9 of Roan Mine Township with 9 siblings, Godfrey was the seventh to be born. This is also where he played youth football barefoot, on the streets of the township as well as the numerous community grounds.<ref name="jerry"/> Matches would take place between the different sections of the mine township. Buttons would be the main prize for winners, but instead, on some occasions money would be the price. This is where some games would end in fistfights, between the opposing teams. Chitalu loved playing football, but the rough nature of the games meant that he suffered from many injuries. Some of these injuries would include a broken arm, which would be broken more times in the future. At times, when he was in hospital, he would escape and go and play football with his friends.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Muchimba|first=Jerry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i1_9CQAAQBAJ&dq=Chitalu+gets+the+nod&pg=PA235|title=Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu|date=2015-05-28|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-78462-220-6|pages=16–17|language=en}}</ref>

He began his formal education at Makoma Primary School in 1954 and managed to get a place in the school team at the age of 10. Shortly afterwards, he was surprised when the Recreation Officer, Bennie Evans, invited him to Fisansa Youth Club for a trial after which he started playing for the team as a [[Forward (association football)#Centre-forward|centre-forward]].<ref name=magic>{{cite news|title=The 'Magic Feet" of Godfrey Chitalu|newspaper=Zambia Mail|page=22|date=7 May 1968|author=Dunstan Chapema}}</ref> He passed this trial and joined several other young talents, including another Zambian international, Willie Chifita. The youth club would often compete in the small league for boys in the town which was formed by Bennie Evans. At one point the league had 99 affiliated teams. Fisansa were often pitted against other youth clubs in [[Luanshya]]. This is how Godfrey came across [[Boniface Simutowe]], an all-round midfielder who was a great attacking threat and even played in goal on some occasions. Names such as Sandy Kaposa, Happy Malama, Dyson Mugala, Kenny Bnda and Henry Kasongo. Even though competition was stiff, Chitalu got into the under-15 district team, and travelled to [[Bulawayo]] with the squad in 1958 as a reserve player and also took part in boxing.<ref name=magic/>

In 1959 he got a transfer to Kawama School in [[Kitwe]] where he switched his position to inside-left and became a regular first team player.<ref name=magic/> While at Kawama School, he joined the Kwacha I Community Centre team where he played at centre-forward. This is where he met future [[Kitwe United F.C.|Kitwe United]] teammates Lameck Soko, Stephen Musonda and Winston Muamba. During his 3 years at the centre, Kwacha I remained champions in [[Kitwe District]]. Chitalu's talent was noticed by a club trainer called Tirivavi, who encouraged him to concentrate on playing football and forget about boxing so he hung up his gloves conditioned too by the fact that not many boys of his age were interested in the sport.<ref name=magic/>

In 1961, he completed his primary education and left Kitwe. He went to stay with his elder brother Stanley in [[Chingola]] and continued his studies at Mushishima Secondary School and played for the school team at inside-left.<ref name=magic/> He was forced to drop out of school in 1964 four months before his junior secondary school examinations when Stanley lost his job and with no one to pay his school fees, he returned to Kitwe and Kwacha I.

Kitwe United United captain and Zambian international [[Emment Kapengwe]] watched him play for Kwacha I and advised him to try out for a Division I team, where he was sure Chitalu would make the grade so he ended up joining Kitwe's reserves upon being invited by club chairman Jethro Ngwane who was looking for young talent for his team.<ref name="firebrand">{{cite news|title=The Soccer Greats of Zambia: Fined, suspended, sent off. That was Godfrey Chitalu but now the firebrand has cooled|newspaper=Times of Zambia|date=1 September 1971|author=Felix Bilali|page=15}}</ref><ref name="face">{{cite news|title=Face to Face – Godfrey Chitalu|newspaper=Times of Zambia|date=2 February 1970|author=Sam Kamphodza|page=11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Muchimba|first=Jerry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i1_9CQAAQBAJ&dq=Chitalu+gets+the+nod&pg=PA235|title=Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu|date=2015-05-28|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-78462-220-6|pages=16–19|language=en}}</ref>

==Club career==

===Kitwe United===
Late in 1964, Chitalu came to the attention of Zambian National Football League Division 1 side [[Kitwe United F.C.|Kitwe United]]. Their chairman, Jethro Ngwane, was on the lookout for young, promising players for his team. During one of his many trips, to watch community matches, Jehtro spotted Godfrey, who had a great eye for goal and he sensed that he had a great eye for goal. Jethro invited him to Buchi Stadium, where joined the reserve team.

In 1965 Chitalu spent most of the season in the reserves and was promoted to the first team at the end of the season. It wasn't until October 1965, in the final game of the season, he broke into the first team. He was 17 at this point. He scored in a 2–1 victory against [[Nkana F.C.|Rhokana United]] as they finished 3rd in the league.<ref name=magic/><ref name=face/>

In 1966 now wearing the number 10 shirt for Kitwe United, cemented his place in the side and was one of its leading scorers, with 14 goals, although the team could only manage a sixth-place finish. Although Chitalu played regularly, his future was still undecided. It was Kitwe United's skipper and Zambian star, Emment Kapengwe, who encouraged Chitalu to take football seriously.<ref name=magic/><ref name=face/> The strong and aggressive teenager, who admired the Scottish striker [[Denis Law]], showed plenty of skill but also had a reputation for being temperamental and rough. In his own words, "he could not stand being booted without retaliation".<ref name=magic/> Chitalu made it to the final of the [[Zambian Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]] with Kitwe United but lost 5–1 to Rhokana United. In this season he scored around 14 goals.

In June 1967, [[Zambia national football team|Zambia]] played three exhibition matches against the touring [[John Charles]] XI and Chitalu's performances in the matches caught the attention of [[Cardiff City F.C.|Cardiff City]] but the anticipated offer of a contract did not materialise.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kitwe club 'thinks twice" on Chitalu|newspaper=Times of Zambia|date=7 July 1967|page=14|author=Anonymous}}</ref><ref name=cardiff>{{cite news|title=Cardiff: 'Forget!|newspaper=Zambia Mail|date=27 December 1967|page=20|author=Anonymous}}</ref> On 8 July 1967, he made the headlines for the wrong reasons when he was sent off in a league match against [[City of Lusaka]] at [[Woodlands Stadium (Lusaka)|Woodlands Stadium]] in [[Lusaka]]. After being warned several times for rough play, he was finally booked by the referee but Chitalu gave his name as Denis Law and this earned him a sending off. He refused to leave the pitch and had to be escorted off by a Kitwe United official. As he was already on a warning for bad behaviour, the disciplinary committee of the [[Football Association of Zambia|Zambian NFL]] came down hard on him and suspended him for the rest of the season for giving the referee a false name.<ref name=firebrand/><ref name="cardiff"/> He only scored around 8 goals this season, but his next season would have been one of best he's done.

In 1968, Chitalu was named club captain, a move which the media described as "the best move ever made – or the worst".<ref name=youngest>{{cite news|title=Chitalu leads Kitwe United – one time bad boy is youngest captain in Division I|newspaper=Times of Zambia|date=10 April 1968|author=Sam Kamphodza|page=13}}</ref>
at 20, this made him the youngest captain in Division I and the club felt that by being named captain, he would be forced to control himself so that he could control his players.<ref name=youngest/> Chitalu responded that it was a bit tricky for him but he was ready for the challenge and did not want to let the team down. He said each time he had committed an offence in the past, he used to question the referee but Kitwe United officials had been responsible for changing his character.<ref name=youngest/> At the start of the season, Chitalu scored 18 goals in 9 league and cup matches.As Chitalu's disciplinary record improved, so did his goal scoring ability as he scored 70 goals for club and 11 for his country to win the inaugural Footballer of the Year and Top Scorer awards. Despite this, he only came 4th in the league with Kitwe United.<ref>Liwena, Ridgeway "Chitalu footballer of the year," ''Times of Zambia,'' 12 December 1968, p.12</ref> Kitwe United even reached the final of the [[Zambian Cup|Castle Cup]] which they lost to league champions [[Mufulira Wanderers F.C.|Mufulira Wanderers]] 2–1.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wanderers call the tune|newspaper=Times of Zambia|date=7 October 1968|author=Anonymous|page=12}}</ref>

In June 1969, Chitalu was in trouble with the authorities yet again when he was fined and suspended for six weeks after being sent off in an exhibition game between Zambia and Cardiff City, for hacking Cardiff defender [[Brian Harris (footballer)|Brian Harris]].The ban was later lifted by the [[Football Association of Zambia]] after an apology.<ref name=firebrand/> Also, in May, he picked up a yellow card during a match against Rhokana. After the game, he punched Rhokana's chairman, Richard Mulenga, but Chitalu later escaped punishment from the NFL. He was suspended for six months for leaving the national team's training camp without permission, despite his explanation that he was unwell and had gone to seek treatment from his doctor in [[Luanshya]].<ref name=firebrand/> Despite this, Chitalu scored 45 goals for club and country.

Chitalu returned to action in the year 1970 after serving five months and missing the first month of league games. He managed to stay out of trouble and won the [[Chibuku Cup]] with Kitwe United in a 1–0 victory over [[Kabwe Warriors F.C.|Kabwe Warriors]] in Kitwe.<ref>{{cite news|title=1970 – the controversial year|newspaper=Times of Zambia|date=26 December 1970|author=Alfred Mulenga|page=9}}</ref> At the end of the season, he picked up his second Footballer of the Year award and finished third on the top scorers list behind leading scorer Sandy Kaposa and runner-up [[Boniface Simutowe]], as Chitalu got 41 goals.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chitalu gets the nod|newspaper=Times of Zambia|date=10 December 1970|author=Anonymous|page=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Muchimba|first=Jerry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i1_9CQAAQBAJ&dq=Chitalu+gets+the+nod&pg=PA235|title=Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu|date=2015-05-28|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-78462-220-6|pages=20–45|language=en}}</ref>

===Kabwe Warriors===
In 1971, Chitalu moved to [[Kabwe]] with the intention of joining [[Kabwe Warriors F.C.|Kabwe Warriors]]. At first, [[Kitwe United F.C.|Kitwe United]] tried to pour water on the move by saying they would not release him as Warriors had "caught a fish in the wrong waters".<ref>'Kamphodza, Sam "Kitwe: Chitalu is our baby!" ''Times of Zambia'', 31 March 1971 p.12</ref> Kitwe United then slapped a transfer fee of K15,000 which was more than seven times the record fee in [[Football Association of Zambia|Zambian]] football of K2,000. Chitalu appealed to the [[Football Association of Zambia|National Football League]] and the transfer was eventually given the green light at a reduced fee of K3,500.

After missing the first six games of the season, Chitalu scored a hat-trick in his first game, against [[Kalulushi Modern Stars]]. It was in this year that he started going by the nickname "Ucar" after the long lasting [[Ucar batteries]] manufactured by [[Union Carbide]].<ref name=firebrand/> He won the league and [[Chibuku Cup]] double in his first season at Kabwe Warriors and ended the year as top scorer with 51 goals for club and country.<ref>Anonymous "Chitalu tops scoring list with 51 goals," ''Times of Zambia,'' 9 November 1971, p10</ref>

Chitalu kicked off the 1972 season by scoring a brace when Kabwe Warriors drew 2–2 with [[Majantja FC]] in [[Maseru]] in the [[CAF Champions League|African Cup of Champions Clubs]] on 23 January 1972. He followed this up with a lesson in clinical finishing, scoring seven goals when Kabwe Warriors overwhelmed the [[Sotho people|Sothos]] 9–0 in the second leg on 6 February 1972 at [[Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium]] in [[Ndola]]. Although the newspaper reports of the match stated that he had set the pace on the scoring charts with nine goals in the competition, the goals were later scratched off by the [[Football Association of Zambia|Zambian authorities]] because the two matches were played before the Zambian season had gotten underway.

Chitalu scored the winner when Kabwe Warriors beat Kitwe United 1–0 to win the season-opening [[Zambian Charity Shield|Charity Shield]] and scored twice when Kabwe Warriors trounced [[Zambia Police]] 5–2 in their first league game of the season at [[Railways Stadium]] in Kabwe. He scored a hat-trick when Kabwe Warriors beat [[Maseru United]] 7–1 in an international friendly at the same venue in March and 4 goals in a 14–2 thrashing of [[Norco Rangers]] in a Chibuku Cup first round match to pull away from the rest of the field. He was also on target for [[Zambia national football team|Zambia]] in an international friendly against [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] in May.

When Zambia met [[Lesotho national football team|Lesotho]] in a [[FIFA World Cup qualification]] game in June, he struck twice in a 6–1 victory and was also on the score-sheet in friendly matches against [[Union Española]] of Chile. Chitalu scored a brace when he captained the [[All Stars (Zambia)|All Stars]] to a 4–3 victory against [[The Rest (Zambia)|The Rest]] on 14 August, taking him to 71 goals for the season. Chitalu scored twice in the [[Zambian Challenge Cup]] final when Kabwe Warriors beat [[Ndola United]] 3–1 and scored in another final two weeks later, this time in the 5–3 defeat of [[Nkana F.C.|Rhokana United]] in the Chibuku Cup final. In the process, he surpassed his own record of 81 goals that he had set as the inaugural winner of the Top Scorer awards back in 1968.

At the end of October, Chitalu had amassed 92 goals with a gap of 57 goals between him and second placed [[Bernard Chanda]] of [[Mufulira Wanderers F.C.|Mufulira Wanderers]] and his teammate [[Sandy Kaposa]]. He went on to score in 17 consecutive matches for Kabwe Warriors, including two when they were knocked out of the [[CAF Champions League|African Cup of Champions Clubs]] 9–3 on aggregate by Ghana's [[Accra Hearts of Oak SC|Hearts of Oak]], 5 against [[Buseko FC]] in a Chibuku Cup tie, 5 against Roan in a [[Zambian Cup|Castle Cup]] semi-final and 7 against Mufulira Wanderers in two league games including 4 in a 5–1 demolition at [[Shinde Stadium]].

He scored in yet another cup final when Kabwe Warriors crushed his old club Kitwe United 6–1 in November to lift the Castle Cup, with Chitalu grabbing a hat-trick and taking his tally for the season to 99 goals in a 9–2 whipping of [[City of Lusaka F.C.|City of Lusaka]] and only needed one more to reach the magical figure of one hundred goals. The hundredth goal soon came in a 4–2 victory in a league game against Kalulushi Modern Stars at the [[Independence Stadium (Zambia)|Independence Stadium]] in [[Kalulushi]], when he scored a hat-trick.

At the end of the season Kabwe Warriors had swept all the [[Trophy|silverware]] on offer, a haul which included the Footballer of the Year and Top scorer awards for Chitalu who attributed his success to the good support of his teammates. For his remarkable achievement, Chitalu received a special yellow ball from sponsors [[Rothmans International]] which had his name and number of goals inscribed on it.

He tied for top scorer with Bernard Chanda in the 1973 season,<ref>Anonymous "Chanda heads scorer's chart" ''Times of Zambia'', 3 January 1974, p.8</ref> and led the scoring charts as well in 1974. In 1975, he played in a deeper midfield role and recorded his worst tally of goals, scoring less than 10 league goals and Kabwe Warriors ended the season second bottom with 6 wins, 7 draws and 13 defeats and were relegated from the top league.<ref>Anon. "Warriors head for the second division", ''Times of Zambia'', 6 October 1975 p.10</ref> They were however saved when the [[Football Association of Zambia]] decided to increase the number of teams in the [[Zambian Premier League]] from 14 to 16.

Chitalu was runner-up to Bernard Chanda in the 1976 scoring duel, finishing with 31 goals which was seven less than "the Bomber's". He lost out to surprise winner [[Vincent Chileshe]] for the 1977 Footballer of the Year award but was named the country's Sportsman of the Year.<ref>"Mijoni Violet "Chileshe was the right choice insists FAZ;" ''Times of Zambia,'' 8 February 1978, p8</ref><ref>Anon. "Chitalu still going strong," ''Times of Zambia,'' 1 April 1978, p.6</ref> He became the first man to win the Zambian Footballer of the Year award in consecutive seasons in 1978 and 1979.<ref>Anon. "Chitalu, the great, named winner again," ''Zambia Daily Mail,'' 26 January 1980, p8</ref> In July 1981, Chitalu broke his arm when Kabwe Warriors beat City of Lusaka 2–1 in a league game in [[Lusaka]] when he jumped over a defender's tackle and landed badly. The injury kept him out for the rest of the season. He made a comeback the following year after which he retired from the game at the end of the season.<ref>Anon. "Warriors keep reigns," ''Times of Zambia,'' 3 July 1981, p8</ref>

==Goal record challenge==
After [[Lionel Messi]] was recorded to have beaten [[Gerd Müller]]'s record of 85 goals in a year, the [[Football Association of Zambia]] claimed that the world record actually pertained to Chitalu who had scored 116 goals (possibly 117) during the 1972 calendar year and 107 during the 1972 season. The difference of goals is due to first 9 goals being scored before the season officially started. The Football Association of Zambia presented the evidence to [[FIFA]] but a spokesperson responded that they would ratify neither Messi's nor Chitalu's records as they do not keep statistical track of domestic competitions.<ref name=bbc/> Nonetheless, it could constitute the highest official tally claimed by a national football association.

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="5" | Summary of the record
|-
!Competition!!Games!!Goals
|-
|[[CAF Champions League|African Cup of Champions Clubs]]||13||4
|-
|[[Zambian Cup|Castle Cup]]||15||15
|-
|[[Zambian Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]]||10||10
|-
|Charity Shield||1||1
|-
|Chibuku Cup||16||16
|-
|Friendly||5||5
|-
|[[Zambian Premier League|League]]||49||49
|-
|NFL Benevolent Fund Match||2||2
|-
|NFL Trophy||3||3
|-
|[[FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup qualification]]||2||2
|-
!Total!!116!!107
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="6" | List of goals scored throughout both 1972 calendar year and season
|-
!Competition
!Team
!Opponent
!Result
!Goals
!Note
|- bgcolor=#F3E2A9
| African Cup of Champions Clubs||Kabwe Warriors||Matjantja||2–2||2||{{abbr|A|Not included in the 1972 season. Included in the 1972 calendar year}}
|- bgcolor=#F3E2A9
| African Cup of Champions Clubs||Kabwe Warriors||Matjantja||9–0||7||{{abbr|A|Not included in the 1972 season. Included in the 1972 calendar year}}
|- bgcolor=#F3E2A9
| African Cup of Champions Clubs||Kabwe Warriors||St. Michaels||3–1||1||
|- bgcolor=#F3E2A9
| African Cup of Champions Clubs||Kabwe Warriors||St. Michaels||3–0||1||
|- bgcolor=#F3E2A9
| African Cup of Champions Clubs||Kabwe Warriors||Hearts of Oak||2–7||1||
|- bgcolor=#F3E2A9
| African Cup of Champions Clubs||Kabwe Warriors||Hearts of Oak||1–2||1||
|- bgcolor=#CEECF5
| Castle Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Zambia Air Force||12–2||3||
|- bgcolor=#CEECF5
| Castle Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Rhokana United||5–3||2||
|- bgcolor=#CEECF5
| Castle Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Mufulira Wanderers||3–2||2||
|- bgcolor=#CEECF5
| Castle Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Roan United||6–1||5||
|- bgcolor=#CEECF5
| Castle Cup ||Kabwe Warriors||Kitwe United||6–1||3||
|- bgcolor=#D0F5A9
| Challenge Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Rothmans||10–0||3||
|- bgcolor=#D0F5A9
| Challenge Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Kalulushi Modern Stars||7–3||2||
|- bgcolor=#D0F5A9
| Challenge Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Butondo Western Tigers||10–0||2||
|- bgcolor=#D0F5A9
| Challenge Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Zambia Eagles||3–0||1||
|- bgcolor=#D0F5A9
| Challenge Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Ndola United||3–1||2||
|- bgcolor=#F5A9F2
| Charity Shield||Kabwe Warriors||Kitwe United||1–0||1||
|- bgcolor=#A9A9F5
| Chibuku Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Norco Rangers||14–2||3||
|- bgcolor=#A9A9F5
| Chibuku Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Butondo Western Tigers||6–1||3||
|- bgcolor=#A9A9F5
| Chibuku Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Buseko FC||10–2||5||
|- bgcolor=#A9A9F5
| Chibuku Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Roan United||3–2||1||
|- bgcolor=#A9A9F5
| Chibuku Cup||Kabwe Warriors||Rhokana United||5–3||4||
|- bgcolor=#D0A9F5
| Friendly||Kabwe Warriors||Maseru United||7–1||3||
|- bgcolor=#D0A9F5
| Friendly||Zambia||Sheffield United||1–1||1||
|- bgcolor=#D0A9F5
| Friendly||Kabwe Warriors||Union Española||1–1||1||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Zambia Police||5–2||2||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Lusaka Tigers||4–0||1||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Nchanga Rangers||2–1||2||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||City of Lusaka||3–0||1||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Butondo Western Tigers||3–2||2||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Ndola United||3–1||2||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Kalulushi Modern Stars||12–3||6||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Zambia Police||7–1||4||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Rhokana United||1–4||1||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Lusaka Tigers||6–1||3||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Butondo Western Tigers||5–0||4||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Nchanga Rangers||1–1||1||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Mufulira Wanderers||5–1||4||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Ndola United||2–2||1||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Roan United||4–1||3||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Mufulira Wanderers||7–1||3||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||City of Lusaka||9–2||4||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Kalulushi Modern Stars||4–2||3||
|- bgcolor=#F5D0A9
| League||Kabwe Warriors||Kitwe United||4–0||2||
|- bgcolor=#BCF5A9
| NFL Benevolent Fund Match||All Stars||The Rest||4–3||2||
|- bgcolor=#F5A9A9
| NFL Trophy||Midlands XI||Copperbelt XI||2–5||1||
|- bgcolor=#F5A9A9
| NFL Trophy||Midlands XI||Copperbelt XI||5–3||2||
|- bgcolor=#A9A9F5
| World Cup qualification||Zambia||Lesotho||6–1||2||
|}

==International career==
Chitalu made his international debut on 29 June 1968 in a friendly match against [[Uganda national football team|Uganda]] in [[Lusaka]] which [[Zambia national football team|Zambia]] won 2–1.<ref>Anon. "Hats off to Zoom," ''Zambia Mail'', 2 July 1968, p.12</ref> He scored his first goal in a 2–2 draw against the same team five days later.<ref>Kamphodza, Sam "Small crowd sees Zambia through" ''Times of Zambia'', 5 July 1968, p.12</ref>

Chitalu played a prominent role during the [[1970 FIFA World Cup qualification#First Round 2|World Cup qualification]] matches against [[Sudan national football team|Sudan]] with Zambia being eliminated on a strange rule which was peculiar to Africa and favoured the team that won the second leg. Despite the aggregate score being tied at 6–6 after Zambia won the first leg 4–2 and lost the return leg by the same margin, Sudan advanced to the Second Round as they scored more goals in the second match.<ref>Anon."Zambia go down 4–2" ''Times of Zambia'', 9 November 1968, p.8</ref> 
Planned protests led to nothing as FIFA explained: 
::“Qualifying matches in Africa are governed by special rules and these state that if at the end of full time in the second leg the teams are equal on aggregate, 30 minutes of extra-time will be played. If at the end of extra-time, the aggregate score is still equal, then the team scoring the most goals in the second leg will be declared winner.”<ref>Anon. “It's official: Zambia is out of the World Cup” ''Zambia News'', 10 November 1968, p.10</ref>

Chitalu was in the team that beat [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]] 5–1 on 15 July 1973 in Lusaka to qualify to the [[1974 African Cup of Nations]]. He featured for Zambia at the tournament and scored a goal against [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]] in a 3–1 loss. Zambia reached the final which they lost to [[Zaire national football team|Zaire]] after a replay.

In April 1975, he was dropped from the national team and he watched the action from the sidelines for almost two years. He made a comeback when Zambia coach [[Brightwell Banda]] took charge of the team, coming off the bench to score two goals in a crucial [[1978 FIFA World Cup qualification#Africa|World Cup qualification]] tie against Uganda on 27 February 1977 in a 4–2 victory in [[Ndola]].<ref>Mukwala, John. "Zambia tames Uganda," ''Times of Zambia,'' 27 February 1977, p.8</ref>

He repeated the feat five months later in an [[Africa Cup of Nations]] qualification game against [[Algeria national football team|Algeria]] with Zambia trailing 2–0 from the first leg in [[Algiers]]. He scored a brilliant brace to force a 2–2 draw and Zambia prevailed 6–5 on penalties.<ref>Kalwisha, Wellington. "We've done it – at last!" ''Zambia Daily Mail,'' 27 June 1977, p.8</ref> In the month when he turned 30, Chitalu scored five goals in the [[CECAFA Cup]] which Zambia lost in the final to Uganda on [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|spot-kicks]].

The following year, Chitalu graced his second Africa Cup of Nations at [[1978 African Cup of Nations|Ghana 1978]] but Zambia lost him to injury in the first game and were eliminated in the first round of the tournament.<ref>{{cite book|publisher=iUniverse|title=Zambia Sporting Score: A Period of Hits and Misses|author=Sayela Walubita, Moses|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bVbs86NdLSEC&pg=PA5|isbn=978-1-4502-7911-6|page=5|year=2011}}</ref> He made another impression at the [[CECAFA Cup]] in Uganda where he finished top scorer with a record 11 goals, including 3 in a 9–0 thrashing of [[Kenya national football team|Kenya]] and 4 in a 4–0 defeat of Uganda. Zambia however lost to [[Malawi national football team|Malawi]] 3–2 in the final.

In 1980, he represented Zambia at the [[1980 Summer Olympics]], scoring a goal against the [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union]] in a 3–1 defeat. He also scored when Zambia lost to [[Venezuela national football team|Venezuela]] 2–1<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Sports Reference LLC |title=Godfrey Chitalu: Biography & Statistics |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ch/godfrey-chitalu-1.html |access-date=11 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213053204/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ch/godfrey-chitalu-1.html |archive-date=13 December 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> He played his last game for Zambia on 12 December 1980 against Kenya in [[Nairobi]] which Zambia lost 2–1. It was his 108th appearance making him Zambia's most capped outfield player and record top scorer with 76 goals.<ref name=records/>

On 25 May 1981, Chitalu was bestowed with the Insignia of Honour by [[List of Presidents of Zambia|Zambian President]] [[Kenneth Kaunda]] for his contribution to Zambian football. Afterwards, he said,

::"Zambia will bring home the World Cup one day or at least a continental one. But we must accept that these things might take a life-time. However, it is worth the wait."<ref>Mwale, Simon. "Evergreen Chitalu honoured by KK" ''Times of Zambia'', 27 May 1981, p.8</ref>

==Coaching career==
Chitalu got involved in coaching as early as 1975, when he served as assistant player-coach at [[Kabwe Warriors F.C.|Kabwe Warriors]]. In 1978, he was named interim national team coach for a two-match trip to [[Swaziland]] which [[Zambia national football team|Zambia]] comfortably won 6–1 and 5–2.<ref>Chipalo, Expendito "Chitalu now coach for national XI", ''Times of Zambia,'' 23 August 1978 p.8</ref>

After retirement, he was appointed assistant coach at Kabwe Warriors under [[Ilija Lukić]]. On 16 October 1983, Kabwe Warriors were trailing to [[Nkana Red Devils]] in a league match at [[Railways Stadium (Zambia)|Railways Stadium]]. According to reports, Lukić was first sent to the stands, and Nkana were later awarded a penalty in the 75th minute of the match. In the ensuing confusion, Chitalu rushed onto the field as if to talk to the referee and suddenly punched him in the face. This led to the game being abandoned.<ref>Ngosa, Enock "Soccer Star beats ref Chayu" ''Times of Zambia,'' 17 October 1983</ref> The club acted swiftly by removing Chitalu from his post and banning him from football activities for a year.<ref>Ngosa, Enock "Club bans Chitalu," "Times of Zambia," 17 October 1983 p.8</ref> Although he denied attacking the referee, the [[Football Association of Zambia]] meted out an even heavier punishment when they banned him for life and Kabwe Warriors were fined and docked points for the abandonment of the game.<ref>Katulushi, Lennie "'Bad boy' Chitalu banned," ''Times of Zambia,'' 23 November 1983. P.8</ref>

It seemed like an ignominious end for the famed goal-king but his club mounted an appeal and the life ban was lifted and replaced by a two-year probation period and a fine. The FAZ stated that "in view of Chitalu's outstanding contribution to the Zambian game," he was being given another chance.<ref>Anon. "FAZ lifts Chitalu ban," ''Times of Zambia,'' 20 February 1984, p.8</ref>

Later that year in October, Warriors dismissed veteran coach Lasky Mwandu and appointed Chitalu in his place and Warriors won the [[Zambian Cup|Independence Cup]].<ref>Chitafu, Victor "Can Warriors regain 'Magnificent' tag?" ''Times of Zambia,'' 19 February 1985, p.8</ref> After a seventh-place finish in the 1985 season, he led Warriors to third place in the league in 1986 but was surprisingly replaced by [[Bizwell Phiri]] who went on to win the 1987 league title.<ref>Katulushi, Lennie "Warriors grab league title," ''Times of Zambia,'' 4 January 1988, p.8</ref>

In October 1987, he was appointed Administrative Manager for the national team and the following year, Zambia qualified to the [[1988 Summer Olympic Games|1988 Seoul Olympic Games]] after a nerve-wracking 2–1 aggregate win over [[Ghana national football team|Ghana]]. After winning the first leg 2–0 in [[Lusaka]] and Ghanaian fans predicting a 5–0 whitewash in favour of their team in the return leg, Zambia conceded an early goal in [[Accra]] and despite intense Ghanaian pressure, held on to proceed to [[1988 Summer Olympic Games|Seoul]].

[[File:Godfrey Chitalu with Alex Chola.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Chitalu with Alex Chola in Lusaka in 1993]]

Chitalu called the 5 minutes added time 'the longest five minutes of his life.'<ref>Mulwanda, Gerald. "Seoul here we come" ''Times of Zambia,'' 1 February 1988, p.12</ref> Although he was left out of the Seoul [[Contingency (philosophy)|contingent]] which made an impression with 4–0 victories over [[Guatemala national football team|Guatemala]] and [[Italy national football team|Italy]], he bounced back in the same position after the tournament.<ref>Ngoma, Samuel. "Chitalu recalled" ''Times of Zambia,'' 12 October 1988, p.14</ref> Later that year, Chitalu received an honorary diploma for Fair Play from the [[International Fair Play Committee]] at the awards ceremony on 3 November 1988 in Paris, after he came out second to Indian tennis star [[Vijay Amritraj]] in a poll to honour some of the world's most outstanding sports personalities.<ref>Anon. "Chitalu honoured" ''Times of Zambia,'' 19 August 1988, p.12</ref><ref>Anon. "Routed Italian squad disbanded" ''Times of Zambia'', 28 October 1988, p.8</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Fair Play Award Winners |url=http://www.fairplayinternational.org/cifp/fair-play-award-winners |publisher=International Fair Play Committee |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310141922/http://www.fairplayinternational.org/cifp/fair-play-award-winners |archive-date=10 March 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref>

In 1990, disaster struck when Kabwe Warriors were relegated and coach [[Jack Chanda]] was fired. The club called on Chitalu to lead them back to the top league and he obliged by first ensuring that none of the club's top players left to join other clubs. Kabwe Warriors set a blistering pace in Division I which led to a swift return to the Zambian Premier League. They also won the [[Zambian Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]] after a resounding 7–0 defeat of [[Konkola Blades F.C.|Konkola Blades]] and the [[Zambian Champion of Champions Trophy|Champion of Champions Trophy]] through a 2–1 win over [[Nkana Red Devils]]. Eyebrows were raised when Chitalu, the coach of a team in a lower division was rewarded with the Coach of the Year trophy, ahead of [[Freddie Mwila]] of [[Power Dynamos]] who had won the [[Zambian Premier League]] and [[African Cup Winners' Cup]] double.<ref>Banda, Mann. "I deserved the award – Chitalu" ''The Weekly Post'', 28 February – 5 March 1992, p.19</ref><ref>Anon. "I deserve the award, quips coach Chitalu," ''Times of Zambia'', 24 February 1992. P.10</ref>

Following Zambia's surprise defeat to [[Madagascar national football team|Madagascar]] in a [[1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#CAF Zone H|World Cup qualification]] tie in [[Antananarivo]] in December 1992, coach [[Samuel Ndhlovu]] was sacked and [[Moses Simwala]] was named the new Zambia national team coach with Chitalu and [[Alex Chola]] as his assistants. However, Simwala fell ill before he could take charge of the team and Chitalu was appointed head coach.<ref>Anon. "Simwala sidelined as squad camps" ''Times of Zambia'', 5 January 1993, p.16</ref> Zambia were tipped to make it all the way to the [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994 World Cup]],<ref>Anon. "We'll reach finals – coach," ''Times of Zambia'', 18 January 1993, p.14</ref> but on their way to [[Senegal]] the team met its fate in the horrific [[1993 Zambia national football team air disaster|air disaster]] off the coast of [[Gabon]]. Chitalu had a record of 4 wins, a draw and 1 loss with 13 goals scored and 3 conceded.

==Personal life==
Chitalu married Christine Chibale in October 1972, in between two matches against [[Ghana]]'s [[Accra Hearts of Oak SC|Hearts of Oak]] in the [[African Cup of Champions Clubs]].<ref>Anon. "Ucar and the girl of his dreams" ''Times of Zambia,'' 10 October 1972</ref> They had eight children and his son Dennis also played for [[Kabwe Warriors F.C.|Kabwe Warriors]] in 1992.<ref>Chishimba, Chishimba. "Magnificent Warriors outplay Wanderers" ''Times of Zambia,'' 27 August 1992, p.10</ref>

==Death==
{{main|1993 Zambia national football team air disaster}}

[[File:Godfrey Chitalus grave.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Godfrey Chitalu's grave in Lusaka.]]

On 27 April 1993, the [[Zambia national football team|Zambia national team]] was travelling to [[Senegal]] for the first of their [[1994 FIFA World Cup qualification]] games in the group stage. The team's mode of transportation was a [[Zambian Air Force]] plane. After refuelling in [[Libreville]], Gabon, the plane developed problems and plunged into the sea. Thirty people on board including [[Michael Mwape]], the president of the [[Football Association of Zambia]], Chitalu and eighteen players died in the accident.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=BBC Sport|author=Djazmi, Mani|title=Zambian footballers remember a lost generation of players|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16991481|date=10 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=The Independent|author=Wilson, Jonathan|title=The day a team died: A tragedy for Zambian football|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/the-day-a-team-died-a-tragedy-for-zambian-football-6291475.html|date=19 January 2012}}</ref>

Godfrey Chitalu Road in [[Lusaka]] is named after Chitalu.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&rlz=1T4ADFA_enZM428ZM430&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.Yms&bpcl=40096503&biw=1440&bih=597&wrapid=tlif135592859569010&q=Godfrey+Chitalu+road%2BLusaka&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x19408c4b552aea9d:0xbcff6a0d6a074bdd,Godfrey+Chitalu+Rd,+Lusaka,+Zambia&gl=uk&sa=X&ei=YdTRUJYzitq0BtXIgPgC&ved=0CDAQ8gEwAA|title=Godfrey Chitalu Rd|publisher=Google Maps|access-date=19 December 2012}}</ref> In December 2012, [[Kabwe Warriors F.C.|Kabwe Warriors]] renamed the Railways Stadium as the "Godfrey Chitalu Stadium," and announced plans to erect a statue in his honour.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Tumfweko|access-date=19 December 2012|title=Kabwe Warriors To Honour Zambia's Greatest Player of All Time – Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu|url=http://tumfweko.com/2012/12/17/warriors-to-honour-zambias-greatest-player-of-all-time-godfrey-ucar-chitalu/|date=17 December 2012|archive-date=18 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218161311/http://tumfweko.com/2012/12/17/warriors-to-honour-zambias-greatest-player-of-all-time-godfrey-ucar-chitalu/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=ten sport|access-date=19 December 2012|title=Zambian club to name stadium after hero Chitalu|url=http://tensport.com.au/news/newsarticles/Football-Zambian-club-to-name-stadium-after-hero-Chitalu.htm|date=17 December 2012}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
:''Scores and results list Zambia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Chitalu goal.''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Godfrey Chitalu<ref>Muchimba, Jerry. "Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu". Matador, 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Godfrey Chitalu – Century of International Appearances|website=[[RSSSF]]|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/chitalu-intlg.html|access-date=24 December 2014}}</ref>
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
| style="text-align:center"|1 || rowspan="2"|4 July 1968 || rowspan="2"|[[Nkana Stadium|Scrivener Stadium]], [[Kitwe]], Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|UGA}} || style="text-align:center"|1–2 || rowspan="2" align="center"|2–2 || rowspan="2"|Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|2 || style="text-align:center"|2–2 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|3 || 9 October 1968 || [[Nakivubo Stadium]], [[Kampala]], Uganda || {{fb|UGA}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|3–2 || Uganda Independence Tournament
|-
| style="text-align:center"|4 || 13 October 1968 || [[Nairobi City Stadium|Jogoo Road Stadium]], [[Nairobi]], Kenya || {{fb|KEN}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–2 || Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|5 || rowspan="3"|22 October 1968 || rowspan="3"|Scrivener Stadium, Kitwe, Zambia || rowspan="3"|{{fb|TAN}} || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || rowspan="3" align="center"|7–1 || rowspan="3"|Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|6 || style="text-align:center"|3–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|7 || style="text-align:center"|4–1 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|8 || rowspan="2"|27 October 1968 || rowspan="2"|[[Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium]], [[Ndola]], Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|SUD|1956}} || style="text-align:center"|2–2 || rowspan="2" align="center"|4–2 || rowspan="2"|[[1970 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|9 || style="text-align:center"|4–2 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|10 || 8 November 1968 || [[Al Hilal Stadium]], [[Khartoum]], Sudan || {{fb|SUD|1956}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|2–4 || 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| style="text-align:center"|11 || 17 November 1968 || [[Independence Stadium (Zambia)|Independence Stadium]], [[Lusaka]], Zambia || {{fb|MRI}} || style="text-align:center"|1–2 || style="text-align:center"|2–2 || [[1970 African Cup of Nations qualification]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|12 || 8 December 1968 || [[Stade George V]], [[Curepipe]], Mauritius || {{fb|MRI}} || style="text-align:center"|3–2 || style="text-align:center"|3–2 || 1970 African Cup of Nations qualification
|-
| style="text-align:center"|13 || 3 August 1969 || [[Yaoundé]], Cameroon || {{fb|CMR|1961}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|1–2 || 1970 African Cup of Nations qualification
|-
| style="text-align:center"|14 || 31 August 1969 || Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || {{fb|MWI}} || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || style="text-align:center"|5–0 || Peter Stuyvesant Trophy
|-
| style="text-align:center"|15 || 2 September 1969 || Scrivener Stadium, Kitwe, Zambia || {{fb|MWI}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|7–0 || Peter Stuyvesant Trophy
|-
| style="text-align:center"|16 || 1 November 1970 || Independence Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia || {{fb|TAN}} || style="text-align:center"|4–1 || style="text-align:center"|5–1 || [[1972 African Cup of Nations qualification]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|17 || rowspan="2"|18 March 1971 || rowspan="2"|[[Gymkhana Ground (Zomba)|Gymkhana Ground]], [[Zomba, Malawi|Zomba]], Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|MWI}} || style="text-align:center"|3–4 || rowspan="2" align="center"|4–5 || rowspan="2"|Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|18 || style="text-align:center"|4–5 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|19 || rowspan="2"|23 March 1971 || rowspan="2"|[[Kamuzu Stadium]], [[Blantyre]], Malawi || rowspan="2"|{{fb|MWI}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || rowspan="2" align="center"|3–0 || rowspan="2"|Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|20 || style="text-align:center"|2–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|21 || 8 July 1971 || Scrivener Stadium, Kitwe, Zambia || {{fb|CYP}} || style="text-align:center"|? || style="text-align:center"|3–0 || Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|22 || rowspan="2"|11 July 1971 || rowspan="2"|Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|CYP}} || style="text-align:center"|? || rowspan="2" align="center"|3–0 || rowspan="2"|Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|23 || style="text-align:center"|? 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|24 || 25 July 1971 || Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || {{fb|GUI}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|25 || 8 December 1971 || [[Afraha Stadium]], [[Nakuru]], Kenya || {{fb|KEN}} || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || style="text-align:center"|2–3 || Jamhuri Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|26 || rowspan="2"|4 June 1972 || rowspan="2"|Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|LES|1966}} || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || rowspan="2" align="center"|6–1 || rowspan="2"|[[1974 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)|1974 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|27 || style="text-align:center"|6–1 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|28 || 22 April 1973 || Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || {{fb|MAD}} || style="text-align:center"|3–1 || style="text-align:center"|3–1 || [[1974 African Cup of Nations qualification]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|29 || 6 May 1973 || [[Antananarivo]], Madagascar || {{fb|MAD}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–2 || 1970 African Cup of Nations qualification
|-
| style="text-align:center"|30 || 18 November 1973 || [[Stade des Martyrs|Stade Kamanyola]], [[Kinshasa]], Zaire || {{fb|ZAI}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–2|| 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification
|-
| style="text-align:center"|31 || 12 December 1973 || [[Nairobi City Stadium]], Nairobi, Kenya || {{fb|KEN}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–3 || Jamhuri Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|32 || 4 March 1974 || [[Cairo International Stadium]], [[Cairo]], Egypt || {{fb|EGY|1972}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–3 || [[1974 African Cup of Nations]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|33 || rowspan="2"|27 February 1977 || rowspan="2"|Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|UGA}} || style="text-align:center"|3–2 || rowspan="2" align="center"|4–2 || rowspan="2"|[[1978 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|34 || style="text-align:center"|4–2 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|35 || rowspan="3"|26 March 1977 || rowspan="3"|Independence Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia || rowspan="3"|{{fb|MWI}} || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || rowspan="3" align="center"|8–1|| rowspan="3"|Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|36 || style="text-align:center"|3–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|37 || style="text-align:center"|7–1 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|38 || rowspan="2"|26 June 1977 || rowspan="2"|Independence Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|ALG}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || rowspan="2" align="center"|2–0 || rowspan="2"|[[1978 African Cup of Nations qualification]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|39 || style="text-align:center"|2–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|40 || 9 October 1977 || Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || {{fb|IND}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|3–1 || Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|41 || rowspan="2"|5 December 1977 || rowspan="2"|[[Banadir Stadium]], [[Mogadishu]], Somalia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|KEN}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || rowspan="2" align="center"|4–2 || rowspan="2"|[[CECAFA Cup]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|42 || style="text-align:center"|4–1 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|43 || 9 December 1977 || Banadir Stadium, Mogadishu, Somalia || {{fb|UGA}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || CECAFA Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|44 || rowspan="2"|28 January 1978 || rowspan="2"|Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|ZAN}} || style="text-align:center"|3–0 || rowspan="2" align="center"|6–1 || rowspan="2"|Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|45 || style="text-align:center"|4–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|46 || 29 January 1978 || Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || {{fb|ZAN}} || style="text-align:center"|5–0 || style="text-align:center"|5–0 || Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|47 || rowspan="3"|5 February 1978 || rowspan="3"|Independence Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia || rowspan="3"|{{fb|SWZ|name=Swaziland}} || style="text-align:center"|3–1 || rowspan="3" align="center"|11–2 || rowspan="3"|Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|48 || style="text-align:center"|7–2 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|49 || style="text-align:center"|11–2 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|50 || 7 November 1978 || Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi || {{fb|UGA}} || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || CECAFA Cup 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|51 || rowspan="2"|9 November 1978 || rowspan="2"|Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi || rowspan="2"|{{fb|SOM}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || rowspan="2" align="center"|4–0 || rowspan="2"|CECAFA Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|52 || style="text-align:center"|2–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|53 || rowspan="3"|13 November 1978 || rowspan="3"|Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi || rowspan="3"|{{fb|KEN}} || style="text-align:center"|7–0 || rowspan="3" align="center"|9–0 || rowspan="3"|CECAFA Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|54 || style="text-align:center"|8–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|55 || style="text-align:center"|9–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|56 || rowspan="4"|17 November 1978 || rowspan="4"|Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi || rowspan="4"|{{fb|UGA}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || rowspan="4" align="center"|4–0 || rowspan="4"|CECAFA Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|57 || style="text-align:center"|2–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|58 || style="text-align:center"|3–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|59 || style="text-align:center"|4–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|60 || 19 November 1978 || Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi || {{fb|MWI}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|2–3 || CECAFA Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|61 || 15 April 1979 || Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi || {{fb|MWI}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || 1978 African Cup of Nations qualification
|-
| style="text-align:center"|62 || 29 April 1979 || Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || {{fb|MWI}} || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || 1978 African Cup of Nations qualification 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|63 || 30 June 1979 || [[Stade Frederic Kibassa Maliba]], [[Lubumbashi]], Zaire || {{fb|ZAI}} || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|64 || 4 November 1979 || Nairobi City Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya || {{fb|UGA}} || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || CECAFA Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|65 || 6 November 1979 || [[Nyayo National Stadium|National Stadium]], Nairobi, Kenya || {{fb|TAN}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|2–2 || CECAFA Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|66 || rowspan="2"|25 November 1979 || rowspan="2"|Independence Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|LES|1966}} || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || rowspan="2" align="center"|5–0 || rowspan="2"|[[Football at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|67 || style="text-align:center"|4–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|68 || 19 April 1980 || [[Barbourfields Stadium]], [[Bulawayo]], Zimbabwe || {{fb|TAN}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || Zimbabwe Independence Tournament
|-
| style="text-align:center"|69 || rowspan="2"|1 June 1980 || rowspan="2"|Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || rowspan="2"|{{fb|ETH|1975}} || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || rowspan="2" align="center"|4–0 || rowspan="2"|[[1982 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)|1982 FIFA World Cup qualification]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|70 || style="text-align:center"|3–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|71 || rowspan="3"|29 June 1980 || rowspan="3"|Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium, Ndola, Zambia || rowspan="3"|{{fb|KEN}} || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || rowspan="3" align="center"|5–0 || rowspan="3"|Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|72 || style="text-align:center"|3–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|73 || style="text-align:center"|5–0 
|-
| style="text-align:center"|74 || 22 July 1980 || [[Luzhniki Stadium|Lenin Stadium]], Moscow, Russia || {{fb|USSR}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–3 || [[Football at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Olympics]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|75 || 24 July 1980 || [[Kirov Stadium]], St. Petersburg, Russia || {{fb|VEN}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|1–2 || 1980 Olympics
|-
| style="text-align:center"|76 || 30 August 1980 || Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe || {{fb|ZIM}} || style="text-align:center"|? || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|77 || 2 November 1980 || Independence Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia || {{fb|ANG}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|78 || 7 December 1980 || [[Moi Stadium]], [[Kisumu]], Kenya || {{fb|KEN}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || Jamhuri Cup
|-
| style="text-align:center"|79 || 12 December 1980 || Nairobi City Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya || {{fb|KEN}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || Jamhuri Cup
|}

==Honours==
===Player===
'''Kabwe Warriors'''
* [[Zambian Premier League]]: 1971, 1972
* [[Zambian Cup|Castle Cup]]: 1972
* [[Zambian Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]]: 1972
* Heinrich Chibuku Cup: 1970, 1971, 1972
* Charity Shield: 1971, 1972, 1973

'''Zambia'''
* Heroes Cup (3 match series against Uganda): 1968
* Peter Stuyvesant Trophy (3 match series against Malawi): 1969
* [[African Cup of Nations]] runner up: 1974

'''Individual'''
* Zambian Footballer of the Year: 1968, 1970, 1972, 1978, 1979
* Zambian League Top Scorer: 1968, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1980
* Zambian Sportsman of the Year: 1977
* [[CECAFA Cup|CECAFA]] Cup top scorer: 1978
* Zambian Insignia of Honour: 1981
* Fair Play Award from the International Fair Play Committee: 1988

===Manager===
'''Kabwe Warriors'''
* [[Zambian Cup|Independence Cup]]: 1984
* [[Zambian Division I League]]: 1991
* [[Zambian Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]]: 1991
* [[Zambian Champion of Champions Cup|Champion of Champions Cup]]: 1991
* [[Zambian Charity Shield|Charity Shield]]: 1992

===Records===
Data presented by the [[Football Association of Zambia]] regarding the 1972 calendar year and the 1972 season suggests Chitalu could be holder of world records such as most official goals in a year and most official goals in a season.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Muchima|first=Jerry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i1_9CQAAQBAJ&dq=Chitalu+gets+the+nod&pg=PA235|title=Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu|date=2015-05-28|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-78462-220-6|pages=222–226|language=en}}</ref>

Alternatively Spanish historian Guillem Pons claim that at most 88 of those goals could be official. Pons amongst others excluded goals scored in the [[Zambian Charity Shield|Charity Shield]] and the [[Chibuku Cup]], indirectly basing his assumptions on the fact that the website of the Zambian FA makes no direct reference to these tournaments.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mundodeportivo.com/20130102/fc-barcelona/chitalu-falso-record-goleador_54358517621.html|title=Desmontando a Chitalu|work=Mundo Deportivo|access-date=2018-05-23}}</ref> These claims are contentious at best, as, for example, brief research of the subject shows that the [[Zambian Charity Shield|Charity Shield]] is currently a tournament administered by the [[Football Association of Zambia]] as a season-opening trophy, similar to the English [[FA Community Shield]].<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Football Association of Zambia|access-date=3 January 2013|title=Charity Shield final moved to Konkola|url=http://mobi.fazfootball.com/news/120313/Charity_Shield_final_moved_to_Konkola|date=13 March 2012|archive-date=19 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819093515/http://mobi.fazfootball.com/news/120313/Charity_Shield_final_moved_to_Konkola|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Zambian historian Jerry Muchimba responded to these claims with news clippings, additionally attesting that: "The Castle Cup, Challenge Cup and Chibuku Cup were all official knock-out cup competitions and had been in existence from the time the league started. The Charity Shield was introduced in 1967 and is still in existence today though it is now called the Samuel “Zoom” Ndhlovu Charity Shield, after another iconic footballer."<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Zambia |access-date=11 January 2013 |title=Blog: Proof that Chitalu did score 107 goals in a single season |url=http://www.zambianfootball.co.zm/?p=3054 |date=11 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819085920/http://www.zambianfootball.co.zm/?p=3054 |archive-date=19 August 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of top international men's football goal scorers by country|List of top international men's football goalscorers by country]]
* [[List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps]]
* [[List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{FIFA player|47681}}
* {{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ch/godfrey-chitalu-1.html |title=Godfrey Chitalu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213053204/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ch/godfrey-chitalu-1.html |archive-date=2012-12-13 |url-status=dead}}

{{Zambia football squad 1980 Summer Olympics}}
{{Zambia national football team managers}}
{{1993 Zambia national football team air disaster}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chitalu, Godfrey}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Luanshya]]
[[Category:Zambian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Kitwe United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Kabwe Warriors F.C. players]]
[[Category:Zambia Super League players]]
[[Category:Olympic footballers for Zambia]]
[[Category:Zambia men's international footballers]]
[[Category:1974 African Cup of Nations players]]
[[Category:1978 African Cup of Nations players]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:FIFA Men's Century Club]]
[[Category:Zambian football managers]]
[[Category:Zambia national football team managers]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Gabon]]
[[Category:Victims of the 1993 Zambia national football team plane crash]]