Mihlali resolved to succeed in Europe
Midfielder not keen to return home soon
While many South African players have returned home after brief spells in Europe, midfielder Mihlali Mayambela is sticking around.
Mayambela, 21, has been in Europe for the past two years since he joined Swedish outfit Djurgadens.
He’s now signed for Portuguese side Sporting Clube Farense on loan, his third temporary move after similar spells at Degerfors and IK Brage in Sweden.
Being loaned out season in and season out has not dampened his spirit.
“I feel great and excited for this opportunity in a great country and great market to play football,” Mayambela told Sowetan from his new home in Portugal.
“The deal came from God. I wasn’t thinking about moving out of Sweden at that moment because I was on loan in a team where I was happy, but I was asked about my availability and Farense wanted to finalise everything quickly. I got to speak with the coach and president before I came ... so I was keen,” he said.
“The only thing I want right now as a footballer is to improve, then I believe the rest will follow.”
Following his time in Sweden, Mayambela believes he’s grown to be physically and mentally ready for any challenge, and coming back home appears to be out of the question for him.
“I’m familiar with being away from home since my [Orlando] Pirates and [Kaizer] Chiefs days,” Mayambela.
He was part of Pirates’ development setup in 2011 before joining Chiefs, also in the junior ranks, the following year, where he also didn’t stay long.
He then moved to the National First Division to play for Cape Town All Stars from where he moved to Sweden in 2016.
“I don’t know why [SA] players come back home. Maybe they miss their families or things didn’t go well for them.
“If you are at the right place and at the right time, I doubt you will even think of going home,” he added.
With that said, Mayambela is staying put and is aiming to make it big in Europe. continued