 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.He became the first man to win the Zambian Footballer of the Year award in consecutive seasons in 1978 and 1979.In July 1981, Chitalu broke his arm when Warriors beat City of Lusaka 2–1 in a league game in Lusaka when he jumped over a defender's tackle and landed badly.