Now Ramalepe is dreaming of 50 more caps
Fifty caps for the senior national women’s team and many more to come – that’s a promise Banyana Banyana rightback Lebohang Ramalepe has made to herself – to one day be counted as a legend in woman’s football once she decides to hang up her boots.
Born in Ga-Maupa, Limpopo, Ramalepe has always liked to set goals for herself and ensure that she achieves them. She knew that was the only way she would try to get things done no matter how difficult the situation.
It was the same case when she was named in the Banyana team for the first time back in 2014, making her debut in a clash against Zimbabwe, where she told herself she was going to work hard in order to be a regular member of the squad.
Ramalepe stuck to her promise and she has been a regular member of the Banyana team and went on to play at her first Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in 2014 where Banyana finished in fourth place. But that was only the start of good things to follow for the 27-year-old defender, who went on to play at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the Cyprus Women’s Cup and in back-to-back Cosafa Women’s Championship successes in 2017 and 2018.
The defender is with Banyana at the AWC in Ghana, where she made her 50th appearance for the senior national team during the historic 1-0 victory over their nemesis Nigeria.
“The Lord works in mysterious ways. Reaching 50 caps is not an easy thing, and I would like to thank all the coaches who helped me along the way to get to this milestone because if they did not believe in my ability, I would not be here. Gratitude also goes to my teammates who encourage me every day, so yes when we played Nigeria I was quietly celebrating. I am so happy, I really never thought I would reach this big milestone,” said Ramalepe, who plays her football for Ma-Indies FC in the Sasol League.
“When we played Equatorial Guinea in their backyard to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics – that is a day I will never forget because it was my first time qualifying for such a very big event that every player wants to be part of.
“The fact that we won away, the celebrations that followed, the joy of my teammates, it was just something to behold. I will forever cherish that day in particular.”
The soft-spoken defender is eager to lift the AWC trophy and to qualify for the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Banyana will guarantee qualification if they can beat Mali in Accra in today’s semifinal.
She says every player dreams of playing in the global tournament and says should they qualify, it would be the biggest achievement of her football career.
“It would be the best thing ever for me if we qualify for the World Cup, not only for me, but for the whole Banyana team and technical team. We have been dreaming of this for many years now.”