Kekana leading by example even in his twilight years
HLOMPHO Kekana has chosen to leave Mamelodi Sundowns with his dignity intact. It was evident that the Masandawana legend was deemed surplus to requirements at the club last season as he made just 15 appearances in all competitions.
Kekana is widely regarded as one of the greatest leaders in South African football and this also bears testament to his character as he has proven that he is not a mercenary. Given that his contract with Sundowns was valid until the end of the 2023/24 season, he could have chosen to remain in Chloorkop while continuing to pocket a heavy salary while being a fringe player.
It’s not rare that players choose to be mercenaries and take advantage of long contracts to earn as much as possible. Such cases were seen with the examples of Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale and former Arsenal player Mesut Ozil.
Due to his inability to want to integrate with Spanish culture and life, it’s been known that Bale has been surplus to requirements at Madrid for at least two years now. While Los Blancos managed to ship him out on loan to Tottenham last season, finding a buyer has been difficult given Bale’s hefty salary demands and the fact that at 32-years-old he is beyond his prime.
Bale has since been re-integrated into the Madrid first-team with the club not having much of an option and he will all but certainly leave as a free-agent at the end of the current season.
Ozil did not play at all for Arsenal last season after being a fringe player the season before and left the Gunners to join Fenerbahce in January.
While what Bale and Ozil did is well within their rights, it will set a precedent which will likely be followed by the next generation of footballers who look up to them as idols.
However, in the case of Kekana, an example of good leadership can be observed. He will not only save Sundowns a ton of money but will also free up space within the squad which can be taken up by a younger and hungrier player who wants to excel at the highest level.
Kekana has always indicated that he is still as hungry as ever to play at the highest level, so much so that he signed a new four year deal with Sundowns just over a year ago at the age of 35. The deal would have seen him remain with the club until after his 39th birthday.
By leaving Sundowns now, Kekana keeps his strong legacy intact. It’s much better optics for a player to leave when their future becomes evident rather than linger on with false hope that they can recover the situation. While Kekana could technically have still worked his way back into the Sundowns starting line-up, it was virtually impossible for that to happen due to his age and the fact that co-coaches Rhulani Mokwena, Manqoba Mngqithi and Steve Komphela are currently paving the way for a new generation at the club.
What next for Kekana?
Even though he may not be the match-winner that he once was, Kekana does still have the attitude and fitness levels required to succeed as a player at the highest level. If he wants to continue as a player, he can.
Prior to joining Sundowns, he was famously a key component of Gavin Hunt’s Supersport United side that dominated local football from 2007-2010 as he helped them win two league titles. A return to Matsatsantsa could provide Kaitano Tembo’s side with much needed leadership.
Tembo’s side do not fear any of the big-gun teams and in Sipho Mbule, Bradley Grobler and Ronwen Williams, they have players who can cause frustration to even the mighty Sundowns. The one thing that they lack is structure and Kekana could help give them that in a player/mentor capacity.