Hard work is key to Khumalo’s success
BONGANI Khumalo’s voice is filled with gratitude as he reflects on a successful 15-year professional career. But he admits that a strong work ethic brought him this far and not just talent.
It was back in July 2007 that Khumalo found himself in the midst of the elite, having joined Supersport United following a successful twoyear stint with then-second tier side Pretoria University, Amatuks.
Such was his boldness and driving ambition that he’d make the Bafana Bafana squad for the 2010 Fifa World Cup on home soil, and failure was not an option for the then 19-year-old centre-back.
In his first three seasons at the club, the 33-year-old inspired Supersport to three successive league titles under coach Gavin Hunt and fulfilled his teenage dream that he’d feature in the 2010 showpiece as he partnered Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena in all three group matches.
Six months after the global showpiece, Khumalo joined English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, where injuries derailed his progress as he was loaned out to various clubs for the duration of his five-year contract.
Heeding the call to come back home in 2015 proved to be a masterstroke as he joined Bidvest Wits, where he won the league title, MTN8 trophy and Telkom Knockout under Hunt.
“I’m very pleased with my career and honestly blessed. I have had an incredible support system and coaches who showed enormous faith in me,” enthused Khumalo, who won his second Wafa Wafa competition with Supersport this season.
“Gavin Hunt gave me my first opportunity in the PSL and we’ve managed to do great together, I believe. I think this is my eighth season in the PSL and I’ve won seven trophies.”
He added: “And four of those are league titles. So essentially, everywhere I’ve played, I’ve won something. It’s a record that I am very proud of.”
Khumalo didn’t dominate simply because he was “that good”. In fact, he knew that if he didn’t put in the work week in and out, there was more chance of him falling off the rails as talent is never enough.
“Personally, I still don’t think that I am a good player but I know that I will work harder than anyone. I am just desperate to win and it’s as simple as that,” he said.
“I always tell young players that they need to know at an early stage why they are playing football. If you do it for the superficial things, you’ll dry up very quickly. I always wanted to play to be remembered.”
Given that footballers are also not immune to grief and turbulence, Khumalo has been wise enough to use that as motivation to get the best out of himself, while his support system has been a pillar of strength.
“I lost my dad when I was 13 and my mom passed away a week before the start of the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup,” he explained.
“I literally had to go and bury my mom and go back to (Bafana) camp.
“But I’ve got such a strong support system that I can’t even begin tell you about,” Khumalo concluded.