Mosa Lebusa
The Mamelodi Sundowns defender talks about integrating himself into his new team, the emotion of leaving Ajax Cape Town and why he chose the Brazilians over other suitors.
Ajax Cape Town was all Mosa Lebusa knew in his professional career, so it was understandably difficult for him to leave the Mother City and join Mamelodi Sundowns following the Urban Warriors’ relegation. In this interview with KICK OFF’s Tshepang Mailwane, the former Ajax captain speaks about why he chose to join the defending Absa Premiership champions ahead of interest from other clubs, and how he once considered becoming a social worker.
KICK OFF: Mosa, you’ve been with Mamelodi Sundowns for a few months now. What initially motivated your move to Gauteng? Mosa Lebusa: Sundowns are a good team, they play Champions League football and always fight for the league title. They win the league almost every season, so I wanted to associate myself with winners. I think that’s what motivated me to come here. Is Sundowns a team you grew up supporting, or did you support one of the Soweto giants? Growing up, I did not really have a favourite team, but in the house my dad used to watch a lot of football, even though he never really had a specific team he supported. I grew up playing football and I loved it from an early age, and now here I am. To be honest, I used to watch Sundowns here and there, because you know when you are growing up, it’s all about Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. But I do remember the likes of “Mambush” [Daniel Mudau], who I would watch. What were your first impressions of Sundowns when you first walked into Chloorkop? It was very different, to be honest. At Ajax, there was not a lot of pressure to win because we were a fairly young team. If you lost a game, it was understandable because most of the squad was made up of youngsters, some just 18 years old. But here at Sundowns it’s different and there’s a lot of quality. Losing is not acceptable – you have to win at all costs. Did coach Pitso Mosimane have a chat with you before you joined, and tell you what he expects from you? Yes, I had a brief chat with the coach and he told me he wanted me as a centre-back, which is the position I wanted to play in because I played there before I got promoted at Ajax. When I got to the first team at Ajax, they shifted me to the left side. Mosimane motivated me, and when the season started and I was not playing, he told me my chance would come and that I should grab it when it did. What are some of the things you had to get used to after joining Sundowns? The playing style was something I needed to get used to – it is completely different. I came from a team where we were playing 3-5-2 and here, we are playing four at the back, so it’s different. You have to get used to the players, especially the guy who plays next to you. You need to know his strengths, his weaknesses and also the team’s strengths and weaknesses, while the
rest of the team also has to learn your strengths and weaknesses. How did your family feel about the move to Chloorkop? They were happy for me. Before I joined, I spoke to my parents and they told me I had their support. At the end of the day, the decision was mine. I told them this is where I wanted to go and they were like, ‘If that’s where you really want to go, then we give you our blessing.’ How much of a role did your parents play in your football career? Or did they push you more towards education? My dad was more about football and my mom was more about education. I remember just before I went to Cape Town, my mom said, ‘My son, we’ve spent so much money on boots, now it’s time to focus on your books.’ Surprisingly I wanted to listen to her, but my dad said, ‘ Take this last chance, and if it does not happen, then you can stop and focus on your books’. Is this because you were not making it whenever you went to trials at other clubs? Yes, because she would see that whenever I went to trials, I would come back and be sad that I did not make it. She did not like that, as it’s not nice to see your son feeling down. If you had not become a professional footballer, what would you be doing? I actually wanted to be a social worker. I always like helping people. I come from a family where helping other people is important. I was a good student until Grade 10, but from then, because I was so focused on football, everything went down, and my mom kept saying it was cause for concern. Before agreeing to move to Pretoria, did you consider staying with Ajax to help them come back up to the Absa Premiership? Because I spent so much time at Ajax, a part of me felt like I could maybe stay and help them come up. But it’s life and it’s football. Life has to move on, you know. If you want to win titles, you have to move on. We had talks and finally we decided that it was best for me to move on. How difficult was it to leave the Urban Warriors, especially after you were there for so long? It was difficult. I spent more time in Cape Town than I did at home [in Welkom], so it was very difficult. Ajax Cape Town was the only team I knew as a professional. When it happened and I left, I had to be strong and move on. Were there other clubs besides Sundowns who were interested in your services? Yes there were a number of clubs t I chose to come here to cause I felt like there was of winning trophies here. ou feel you’ve made the n to join Sundowns? ould say yes. It’s not easy, I think I have made the right ision. u are competing with ardo Nascimento for a lace on the left side of the central defence. What do you make of him as a player? He is a very good ball player and defender. He reads the game well and he controls the defence well. I thought I was going to pete with him, but there e been games where we yed together in central fence, so you just never know. u just have to be prepared cause you can play with yone at any time at the back.
“I ACTUALLY WANTED TO BE A SOCIAL WORKER. I ALWAYS LIKE HELPING PEOPLE.”
What do you want to achieve at Sundowns? Before the season started, we set a goal of winning the league and wanting to win every competition we play in. But it’s not easy because every team you play against wants to beat Sundowns and we always have to be on our A-game. But we keep on working hard. What would it mean to win a first league title in your career? It would be great. The league is the big fish – in order to play in the Champions League, you have to win the league at home. We are really pushing hard to win the league. I believe it’s possible for us to win it. Do you think the changes made to the Sundowns side this season played a role in the team’s slow start? There are some guys who hit the ground running. You look at the likes of Andile [Jali] and Lebo [Maboe], they’ve added massive value to the team, as well as Phakamani [Mahlambi]. They are good players and I feel it’s only a matter of time before the whole team is on the same wavelength. Do you think playing in the CAF Champions League will help improve your game? Definitely. I think playing in the Champions League is a dream for every South African footballer. I think it will make a massive difference in the way I play because you get to learn other cultures and how they play football elsewhere. If it happens that I get another Bafana Bafana call-up, then I will at least know how other teams in Africa play. Speaking of Bafana Bafana, do you see yourself getting another call-up anytime soon? To be honest, it’s not on my mind right now. My focus is here at Sundowns. I want to play my heart out for Sundowns. If it happens that I get a call-up I will be happy, but right now it’s not on my mind.