5 minute read
CHAT CORNER THE PHENOMENAL BRAND THAT IS ‘MSHISHI
Zwane has already won 11 domestic trophies including five League titles while conquering Africa after winning both the Champions League and Super Cup. The next step for him is to firmly place his name amongst the country’s greats and to lead Bafana Bafana to glory; and for this to happen, Clive Barker believes it is of utmost importance that Molefi Ntseki builds his national team around Themba Zwane.
“Build the team around Themba Zwane. In different ways, he reminds me a lot of Doctor Khumalo. He is not as good as Doctor but he creates things and scores goals‚ he gets himself in the box where he is very good. I was delighted to watch his career and I think we can build around him,” the former AFCON winning coach said.
Zwane himself has acknowledged it’s time to start achieving something with the national team, “Yes, it is true I haven’t enjoyed the same type of success I’ve been enjoying with Sundowns. I want to change that with the national team. I believe it is possible. We reached the quarter-finals in the 2019 Afcon and we have to keep progressing until we reach the pinnacle.”
“I also want to win something with my country. If I can do that, I’ll be a very happy man. It’s all about knowing your opponents
very well. We do a lot of research at Sundowns about our opponents. We’ve also got the ability to win games away from home but the national team is progressing as far as I’m concerned. Hopefully we will deliver soon.”
Zwane’s 2019/20 campaign will be widely regarded as the crowning moment of his career after inspiring Mamelodi Sundowns to a domestic treble – the Absa Premiership, Nedbank Cup and Telkom Knockout. The 31-year-old still has at least 3 more years of football left in him should everything go according to plan.
“It was a great season, working with these talented guys at the club, as they pushed me to play my best and everyone on the team worked hard. We as a team are in a great environment; we want to push and win trophies – it’s what our club is about. I want to continue to fight for the team. I want to achieve more,” Zwane added regarding his triumph at the PSL awards.
“Some players, such as Surprise Moriri, have played for the club before me, and players like him inspire me. They are team legends and I too, want to be a legendary Sundowns player one day. We’ve been doing well and working with the coaches preparing for the new season. It feels good that we are ready to do battle this season again. I know it won’t be easy but we are going to go out and fight till the end once more.”
One definite area in which many people fault Themba Zwane in is the finishing department. While he’s beginning to find the back of the net more consistently as he ages, many argue that he’s not ruthless enough in front of goal and the Mamelodi Sundowns attacker admitted that it’s a part of his game where there is a need for improvement.
“It’s getting there, but I need to improve my finishing and make the right decisions in the final third. Our combination play is becoming better and improving greatly but there is room for improvement with regards to finishing.”
In years to come, football fans will celebrate this era as the greatest in Mamelodi Sundowns’ history, not only for the long list of trophies but more importantly for that phenomenal brand of play that set the standards for South African football going forward. Zwane has been at the core of it alongside the likes of Hlompho Kekana and Dennis Onyango. Ù
TIMEOUT WITH CELLULAR MAAKE
BY HAPPY MASANGO
The name Freddie Saddam Maake will go on to be remembered for life after he invented the ‘Vuvuzela’. Maake, a superfan of Kaizer Chiefs is one of the household fan names of South African football and his legacy is slowly being passed on to his son Cellular Maake.
Cellular Maake has been taking social media by storm recently. The Soccerzela team caught up with the sport development enthusiast who just graduated from the University of Johannesburg, regarding his journey with Kaizer Chiefs alongside his famous father, his
classroom ambitions and his future plans.
Q: At what age did your passion for football begin at?
A: Honestly, the passion for football began when I was very young. Growing up in a family that’s passionate about sport makes one to be passionate as well. But around 2010 that’s when I realised sport lives in me and I’ll also look at making it my career.
Q: Tell us about how you began to support Kaizer Chiefs? Was it something you inherited from your father or was it a decision of your own?
A: I wouldn’t say I inherited it from my dad. It was easy to
choose Kaizer Chiefs because they were winning trophies and a big team. And, I was told about their rich history which made it easier for me to support them.
Q: You recently graduated with a sports management qualification, what are your plans with that?
A: Well, one day I hope to be the first African FIFA President. I want to change sport and end corruption. But with my short term goal, I want to engage with sport development in our country and ensure South African sport is at the highest level and that we have more Gold Medals during Olympics as well. We need to take sport very seriously in our
