Football’s new CR7 vs Messi!

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are getting older; they are in the twilight years of their remarkable, historic careers, but football is not afraid to move on. So much so, in fact, that football is obsessed with identifying the players who will carry that torch that has shone an incredibly bright light on the Beautiful Game since the early 2000s. Well, consider them found! Last week, Kylian Mbappe almost single-handedly bulldozed FC Barcelona to defeat with an emphatic hattrick at the Camp Nou in the UEFA Champions League, a performance that Erling Haaland revealed inspired him to his brace for Borussia Dortmund against Sevilla the following day. While Messi and Ronaldo are still scoring goals for their respective clubs and competing at the highest level well into their 30s, a new rivalry is brewing, one that could potentially signal a changing of the guard and shape our sport for the next decade, Soccer Laduma’s Kurt Buckerfield explains!

SIBONGAKONKE MBATHA

In this week’s mini-interview, TS Sporting winger Sibongakonke Mbatha opens up to Soccer Laduma’s Peter Raath about his experience playing in India, where he turned doubters into believers. The former national U17 and U20 international also questions why our youngsters aren’t properly monitored, speaks Nedbank Cup and gives a progress report.

Peter Raath: TS Sporting are gaining ground from your midfield meandering, but having also represented South Africa at two FIFA Junior World Cups and being crowned the youngest ever foreigner in the Indian Soccer League, must give you huge satisfaction.

Sibongakonke Mbatha: Peter, I’d say that playing in India in 2018 was as good as going to the 2015 FIFA U17 and 2017 FIFA U20 World Cups in Chile and South Korea respectively. If another chance arose, I wouldn’t think twice about returning. I must give credit to my agent – he’s the person who made it all happen. At the time, I didn’t know that much about India, let alone the club, ATK (formerly Atletico de Kolkata). However, I was aware of the heat in that part of the world, so I did some research on the location of Kolkata as well as its expected temperatures. At the first training session, you know how it is with the other players looking at a new signing, wondering how well he’ll do. The guys weren’t that close to me, but afterwards, everything was fine because they realised that I could really play. In fact, one teammate, Robbie Keane, the former Republic of Ireland and Tottenham Hotspur forward, asked whether I carried a European passport. I obviously responded, “No”, but if it was the case, I wouldn’t be here anymore.

PR: That sounds compelling. What else did he say?

SM: Robbie always told me what to do. Once, when we were on the way to training, I bought some sweets. I just felt like eating them. But after taking these for himself, he said, “The sweets are for me, unless you’ve scored two goals for Tottenham in the EPL.” He then gave me peanuts instead, while adding, “You’ve got a lot to learn.” Ha, ha, ha. Keane was one of those guys who initially doubted me, but following my performances, the two of us began talking. Remember, I also scored on debut. I felt connected to him as we shared a special bond and actually flew together from India to Dubai before taking separate planes to our final destinations. That guy even enquired whether I did extra gym work and what my intentions were back home in SA. I’ll never forget that experience as well as being in East Asia and South America.

PR: On that subject, many of your ex-U17 international teammates who were in Chile, such as Katlego Mohamme, Thendo Mukumela, Athenkosi Dlala, Nelson Maluleke and Khanyisa Mayo are also still plying their trades in the GladAfrica Championship. In your view, is there any particular reason for not following, for example, in the footsteps of Reeve Frosler and Keanu Cupido?

SM: Honestly, I think SA as a country is far behind. Why don’t they monitor every single youngster and follow what other countries do? All those guys do deserve to be playing top-flight football. Surely, if DStv Premiership clubs see that we do carry junior international accolades, then they must give each of us a chance in order to improve ourselves. But they don’t and that’s why you see the gaps, with former U17, U20 and U23 players disappearing. There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing you’ve played in two World Cups and the next thing is there’s no team to represent anymore. We don’t have that balance on how to develop youngsters within a proper structure. I was in Bidvest Wits’ first team squad for three seasons but didn’t play. Once, after I’d returned from a national camp, our coach at the time, Gavin Hunt, said, “You’ve done really, really well, although it’s a pity the team lost.” That was it! He was someone who’d tell me good things but never show them.

PR: Returning to the current campaign, how would you describe Abantu Bemthetho’s progress in the pro ranks, especially considering your Nedbank Cup giant-killing act, knocking out 2019 winners, TS Galaxy, on penalties?

SM: It felt great beating Galaxy in a derby, where we’re always competitive. The victory was even sweeter because for most of extra time, Sporting had a man short.

PR: You face Richards Bay FC in the Last 16 this Sunday. Having never beaten the Natal Rich Boyz before, will your head coach, Kabelo Sibiya, manage to pull a rabbit out of a hat this time against an in-form team?

SM:

Yes, I believe that Kabelo can. The team has its own goal and will carry it out. In January, during our goalless draw (against them), we were very dominant, creating a lot of scoring chances, while also playing with 10 men after Percyvell Nkabinde’s 35th minute sending-off. Now is our chance to settle that score.

PR: Thanks, Sibongakonke. SM: My pleasure, Peter. ❐

influence our beloved game and that has badly affected our moral and culture of doing things. This starts from club level on how they perceive themselves. The greatest achievement in our soccer is to play overseas and top clubs value foreign coaches more than locals. The same foreign coaches that will compromise the club’s identity as they will be out for overnight success, with club bosses breathing down their necks to make them deliver. No foreign nor local coach has spent a decade in one club thus far and imagine how this affects players psychologically. Local coaches have felt disrespected at most local clubs. They are familiar with the local philosophy and know the expectations of clubs. Most of these locals have the same qualifications as their foreign counterparts but don’t get much acknowledgement in the game. On the other hand, the PSL is contemplating VAR implementation because it’s obviously used in Europe despite much outcry regarding it. We really need to divert from foreign and start to do things our own selves in order to grow. All our soccer governing bodies have recorded over billions in profits in their coffers but don’t want to invest in the game and improve the standard of our soccer. We hosted a successful 2010 World Cup and that was a monumental milestone to test our potential against the world. We need that fire to improve our soccer without cheating the foreign philosophy. Wandile Mtana, Uitenhage