He can still play until he is 37

Roger Feutmba – Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder

“Themba has contribthe uted greatly to growth of Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club. The imjust pact he has, not on Sundowns but South African football at large, is huge. His contriHe’s bution is massive! doing very well and ranks among the players who have given a lot to Sundowns and the country’s football fraternity. I think because of the challenge of playing for Sundowns, who are involved in so many fronts – they are playing the CAF Champions League, they have to win everything domestically, he’s also involved in the national team and is someone a lot of players look up to – it becomes really hectic for anyone to manage, especially at his age. I need to commend him because for him to be able to deal with all those challenges and still be able to continue with his great performances, it means he is somebody who takes great care of himself. Many soccer players have to look at him for inspiration and understand that being a professional footballer who wants to be great, there is a lot of sacrifices that you have to make along the way. Everyone can see that Themba takes care of himself and he is a disciplined player on and off the field. That’s why he continues to be so consistent even at 34, doing so well for both the team and the country. Like I said, it takes a lot of discipline and dedication to achieve what Zwane has done so far. Sundowns need to look for younger players in his position to try and get them to learn as much as they can from him while he is still playing. With age, they will obviously have to manage him and that’s where a good replacement will come in so that they don’t overwork him. I believe he can still play until he is 37 if he wants to and it will all depend on the motivation and hunger that he still has to continue playing football. I believe he still has a big role to play not just at Sundowns but Bafana as well because he is a true professional.”