Siphelele Mkhulise

The Mamelodi Sundowns forward is certainly no longer considered a youngster and must make the next step in his career.

To some he might still be a rising star who is yet to establish himself at Mamelodi Sundowns, but Siphelele Mkhulise insists he is no youngster and is fighting for his place in the team just like any other player. He tells KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo that he is destined for greater things with the European stage his ultimate target.

KICKOFF: What do you make of the growth factor in your football career to date? Siphelele Mkhulise:

I do have a sense of happiness because there has been improvement in my game, but then there is still a long way to go so, I still need to get better. My understanding of the game must still improve. For me growth is knowing how to play for the team, being a team player and then combining with your teammates from the understanding you have with them, while improving yourself as well in that process. Through this you then set yourself goals as an individual, which is assists and goals for attacking players like me. Growth is being in a process of achieving goals that you would have set for yourself.

Then there is the growth by way of what football has done for you in life…

[Laughing] It is because of football that I was able to take a flight for the first time in my life when the Sundowns Under-19s went to play in the Bayhill Cup [in Cape Town]. As a kid my wish was to get into an aeroplane one day and it happened. Football took me out of South Africa for the first time, because we normally connect in Paris or Dubai when we play Champions League matches in North Africa. How can I not be grateful for what this game has done for me? I am everything that I am because of football.

So you consider yourself fortunate that you are earning a living by playing football?

Yes, of course. There are so many others out there who wish to be where I am and are craving that opportunity. I always think about how far I have come in this game and how many others couldn’t reach professional football after falling off along the way. Just that thought pumps me up into working my socks off without wasting the opportunity that I have. That is why I keep talking about improving because I want to go forward. I understand there so many others who can take my position if I relax or don’t work hard enough. That person can go on to do better than me after taking my place so that is why I always give my work my all. What remains important is respecting your work and putting in the effort and being committed. I always think about how lucky I am to be where I am today. I have friends who couldn’t get to where I am now.

What have you learnt through the years that you have now spent in the limelight?

You must look after your body. That is non-negotiable. You must watch what you put into your body because this is the body that works for you and without it in prime condition, then you are nothing. Your energy comes from what you eat so your performance is dependent on your condition. If you are not taking care of your body it will show because you will tire easily and be injury prone, so it is vital to train, rest and east well. I have even tried to make the family back home understand that I cannot be loading everything into my body whenever I am with them [in Caluza, Pietermaritzburg]. At times they laugh when I tell them that I cannot be still eating everything.

“JUST TO GET INTO THE TEAM AT SUNDOWNS IS TOUGH AND CALLS FOR YOU TO WORK HARD EVERY DAY AT TRAINING.”

How are you handling the fact that being at Sundowns calls for you to take your game a step up considering the kind of competition that you are facing?

It is tough because of the kind of top-quality players that we have at Sundowns, but I never hesitate to raise my head and work hard all the time. Just to get into the team at Sundowns is tough and calls for you to work hard every day at training. I always try my best to work in a way that gets me

into the team. It is important to grab your chance because if you don’t then you will feel the pinch of how long the queue to play is at Sundowns. I know what I am talking about because I have had to work from the back of the queue. I was recently injured, and it meant I had to face that difficult wait because the team has been winning with everyone playing well. I am aware that I must make use of my chance when it comes, l must pray not to get injured when I am in as getting back in the team is not a walk in the park.

Makes sense…

Your mindset must always be switched on so that when you get your chance you are ready. There is nothing as disappointing as getting your chance when you are not ready and then find yourself going to the back of the queue again.

How do you keep yourself switched on through the phases when you are not in the team?

You must be strong and understanding of the fact that it is only 11 players at a time. How do you complain when the team is winning? What will you be complaining about? So, you must keep working on yourself so that when the chance comes one day you make use of it.

The times when you are not playing are when you get a proper test of your mental strength…

It is bound to happen that you will be thinking about a lot of things when you are not playing but then when you are a player who knows what they want, then you will focus and let go of distractions. At the end of the day, you are a professional player so it doesn’t help to be always moaning when you can improve yourself so that you are ready when the chance comes. What is the use of having energy to grumble yet to fail to deliver when given the chance? What matters is using your chance when it comes.

Being in an attacking line which features the highly productive Themba Zwane must be amazing …

I try to always take points from all the good that he does. What is important for me is to learn from the best. All that Mshishi does on match day is down to the work he puts into his game. He is not just a hard worker but is committed as well with all of this topped up by the fact that he has the talent and that is where the difference is. The talent counts through working hard. You need to understand that there is a difference between working hard and working smart as well. You cannot be always about effort without using the brains. It is a blessing for me to see how Mshishi works every day at training. He is the best.

You have only completed two seasons in the first team at Sundowns but have already won the league twice, Nedbank Cup and Telkom Knockout. You have already won more than what some players will ever win in their careers …

I consider myself lucky to be playing for a team like Sundowns because we win trophies every season. This is an environment that feeds on the energy of success, which is good because when I retire one day, I will have silverware to show for it. So, I am lucky to be here.

What is the ultimate prize to play for this season for Sundowns, considering that last term you won the domestic ‘Treble’ which you will unfortunately not be able to repeat this term?

We are playing to win all the trophies left to play for which is the league, Nedbank Cup and the Champions League. We aim high at Sundowns, so we want it all. All the trophies that we are playing for have been won before, so we are aiming for what has been

“YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL PLAYER SO IT DOESN’T HELP TO BE ALWAYS MOANING WHEN YOU CAN IMPROVE YOURSELF.”

tasted at this club. There are guys that have been to the FIFA Club World Cup here and just the other day Sugar [ Tiyani Mabunda] was showing us videos of how high the tempo of the teams that they played against was. Having such people around provides the motivation for me to want to experience this myself as well.

In your case the age factor will always be mentioned. Do you honestly consider yourself as being still a youngster at 25?

This subject … I don’t see myself as a youngster. No chance. I don’t because I believe that if you are playing and competing for a place in the first team then you are not a youngster. We are all equal in the eyes of the technical team because we can all be called up to play at any time. You cannot be telling yourself that you are a youngster and so you don’t have stress when you don’t play yet you are a first team player. I’m just like everyone else in the team because this is not an age group category.

Have you ever thought about how other footballers born in 1996 like have long genuinely established themselves. Names such as Marco Asencio, Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman, Dele Alli and Timo Werner were all born the same year as you …

They are all far in their careers and playing for top teams at the highest level in Europe. I am also getting my chance with a top team here in South Africa. The only difference is that the levels are not the same since they are at a high level and exposed to playing in the UEFA Champions League with teams from top leagues. However, I believe that if I also keep working hard, I have a chance of getting to their level as well. I also have those big dreams of playing in the UEFA Champions League and I won’t give up on that. I hope one day my dream does come true. Please ask me that question again when I am playing abroad. For now, I know them, and they don’t know me, but I am sure they will also know me soon. They are from better development structures than us and they start much earlier than us, which is why they get to ready for first team football much earlier from as young as 16, while at 16 I was way too far away from the first team.

You have spoken about the need for goals or assists in your game but in all the six appearances that you had made as of January 8 you had none of both. Your former coach Pitso Mosimane spoke a lot about the need for you to up your game in that regard and there is a worry you might end up not being able to build on the numbers you had last season when you got regular minutes with 34 appearances and chipped in with four goals and two assists …

I’m aware that this is lacking in my game and I am always trying to improve all of these. I understand the importance of all of this, and it is for that reason that I am not happy. I really need to fix this. I am certain I will be able to improve on what I did last season, which was encouraging considering I got involved in games. When coach Pitso challenged me, it made sense because it was something that I could see as well. I need the goals and assists because it will be a contribution towards the team winning the trophies that we are aiming for.

Mosimane has since left the club and you now have three coaches Manqoba Mngqithi, Steve Komphela and Rhulani Mokwena. How has it been having to go through your first season without Mosimane around considering he was in charge for all the years since you were in the development?

May I kindly ask not to answer this one. I don’t have the answer for one. Maybe one day I will have the answer.

“WHEN COACH PITSO CHALLENGED ME, IT MADE SENSE BECAUSE IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I COULD SEE AS WELL.”