Burundi head coach Gustave Niyonkuru has explained why Saido Berahino’s village of Buyenzi has been capable of producing some of the country's top football talents.
Apart from Berahino, a national team striker who also played for West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday in England, the village is also home to Yusuf Ndayishimiye, who is currently turning out for Basaksehir in Turkey.
In the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco, eight players come from Buyenzi - Amissa Inarukundo, Annociate Nshimirimana, Asha Djafari, Diane Irankunda, Erica Kanyamuneza, Falonne Nahimana, Salha Nduwayo and Zilfa Suzanne, hail from Berahino’s home village.
"Players from Buyenzi are the kind that think outside the box," Niyonkuru explained in an interview with CafOnline.
"They are dynamic in the way that they play football, and this can be attributed to their way of life in this quarter. They bring a new dimension to the team."
Niyonkuru further discussed why their presence in Morocco is a positive step for football, especially for women, in Burundi.
"Playing at the Wafcon is a game-changer for women’s football back home in Burundi," the tactician added.
"When people watch us playing on television and listen to the national anthem, it is a sense of pride for our country. Now our society is changing the way they think about women’s football and that football is not just for men."
Peace Olga Niyomwungere, the 16-year-old Buyenzi resident, echoed Niyonkuru’s take on the village and explained why he thinks footballers from the area have been so successful.
"When you talk about football in Burundi, you have to talk about Buyenzi," Niyomwungere said. "This quarter has produced the greatest talents in our country. There is something unique about it.
"Being born or growing up in Buyenzi means that you are smart and quick on your feet and intelligent to deal with many situations as a way of life and this is reflected in football too."
The Eastern Africans are at the bottom of Group C – where Nigeria, South Africa, and Botswana are the other members - after losing two of their first games.
