Sphephelo Sithole

Sphephelo Sithole may not be well known to local audiences, but he is creating waves in the Portuguese top-flight with his performances for Belenenses.

South African midfielder Sphephelo Sithole has been raising eye-brows in Portugal with his powerful displays for top-flight side Belenenses, where he is a teammate of Bafana Bafana defender Thibang Phete. After being scouted by the man who took Cristiano Ronaldo to Sporting Lisbon, Sithole excelled at the KZN Academy in Durban before getting his big break in Europe. But as he tells KICK OFF’s Nick Said, it has been a steep and difficult learning curve.

KICK OFF: Where did it all begin for you?

Sphephelo Sithole: I grew up in Ulundi and so many of my relatives played the game, though just for the local amateur teams. But football was something that was really important in my family for as long as I can remember. Two of my younger brothers are currently at the KZN Academy, where I started out and got my big break. I was playing for a team called Double Classic when I was spotted by the academy, and they gave me the chance to try out and showcase my skills. That was really the start for me, from there it has just been an amazing progression through a lot of hard work and a lot of help from many people.

You mention being scouted by the KZN Academy, which has sent many players over to Portugal in the last few years. How exactly did it happen for you?

They came to Ulundi in December 2013 and there was one scout called Paulo Cardoso [who previously worked as a youth coach at Sporting Lisbon with Cristiano Ronaldo] who said he really liked what he saw in me and that I should come through to Durban to the academy for trials. There were over 150 other guys also there and we were preparing for the [2014 Durban Under-19 International] tournament against Benfica, Roma and Boca Juniors. They only needed to select eight players and at that time I was 16 and the youngest player in the team. It was hard competing with the players older than me but it also really helped me to develop. In the second year of the tournament [in 2015] I had more experience and that is where I really showcased what I could do. I was spotted there by Sporting [Lisbon] scouts and they said I must come for trials in Portugal. After that they signed me.

How did you manage the adjustment from Ulundi to Lisbon?

My first year when I came was very, very difficult. I didn’t know anything, I didn’t have anyone to talk to when I had a problem. I felt very alone. I was lost. So it was quite difficult for me to ‘be me’ and be fully happy in the team. It was very, very, very difficult … oh, just so difficult. I remember I cried a lot when I was alone and I said to myself, ‘no, I want to go home, I can’t take this anymore’. But look at where I am now, I have learnt from those things. For me it is now very much in the past.

So what was the turning point for you, where things started to become a bit easier?

The most important thing that changed for me was my own mindset, I just knew I had to do everything I could to make the adjustment. Many players will tell you that to go from what we are used to in South Africa to any country overseas is not easy. It maybe takes you at least a year – just trying to communicate can be hard, I found I did not know what the coaches were trying to say to me, so how could I follow their instructions properly? I desperately wanted to do the best I could and do the right thing for the coaches. It was maybe frustrating for me and for them. It was probably the hardest part. Away from training I was always alone and not really able to have company of teammates because you cannot communicate. So I made it my mission to learn the language and that is where I started to enjoy myself.

Do you keep in close contact with the other South Africans in Portugal? There are so many now!

Yes! There are four in my house, all South African players from the academy. Thabo Cele [who plays for Cova da Piedade] lives with me because we

“THE COACH TOLD ME I WOULD PLAY FOR THE FIRST TEAM BUT THEN BOOM, I GOT COVID.”

are both playing for clubs in the same city [Lisbon]. We are always together when we are not playing, which is great because if one of us is stressed or having an issue, we can help each other out.

You were first at Sporting when you moved to Portugal, but then you went to Vitoria Setubal to play for their Under-23 team in January 2019. What was behind that move?

Yes, my agent just called me and said Vitoria want me to help them out and it is a good opportunity in the Under-23 team. I went there but I was still having some issues settling and it didn’t really go well. I was there for half a season and then I came to Belenenses.

When you first went to Belenenses you were in the Under-23s, but you got promoted to the first team very quickly. How did that come about?

When I got here I met some really good people and quickly made some good friends. It was like a breath of fresh air for me and I finally felt comfortable. I just said to myself, ‘I am in a good place and I really want to make it here and with a career in football’. It was almost like, if I couldn’t make it here then I would go back to South Africa because this felt like the right move for me. I know enough of the language now to talk to the coach and the players, and that is a big difference. That is actually is the most important thing, to have the communication with the players. I got promoted and was given my chance [in the first team] and I feel like I have taken it.

But there was a bit of a rocky start wasn’t there …

Yes, when I came to the club I trained with the Under-23s for maybe the first week, then afterwards the first team coach saw me and invited me to their training. I would train with the first team but then go to play for the Under-23s, which was OK because I was learning a lot. After a while, the coach told me I would play for the first team but then boom, I got COVID. I stayed home for two weeks and lost the rhythm and stuff like that, and so I also lost the opportunity to play last season. But from the start of this season I have been playing for the first team. Everything is going well at the moment, I am playing every game, which is what every player wants. Just to play.

You have compatriot Thibang ‘Cafu’ Phete playing alongside you, it must be good to have him there with you?

Cafu has been through all of this already, so he knows the challenges. He is always helping me, he is a shoulder to cry on and like a brother to me. He has much more experience

“CAFU HAS BEEN THROUGH ALL OF THIS ALREADY, SO HE KNOWS THE CHALLENGES.”

than me and has seen a lot. He is this older guy that I can look up to and he is a great role-model for me. And what a good player!

You have also played against Luther Singh at Pacos de Ferreira, what was it like coming up against him because he has done really well in Portugal?

It was a great experience, we had three South African guys playing on the pitch at the same time with myself, Cafu and Luther. At the time that actually felt really important that we had three guys competing in a big European league. I was quite proud of that because it is not something you see often. Unfortunately, we lost that game, but before the match we had a lot of talk amongst us, ‘we are going to beat you, you cannot win, blah, blah, blah’. It was fun. After the game we exchanged shirts and had a good talk, it was

great. We all support each other, every South African that is here, we know each other and help each other. We are like a family this side and that helps everybody to feel good and not be lonely.

You seem very versatile, where can you play and in which positions have you been featuring for Belenenses this season?

I can play as a six or an eight. I can even play as a 10. I can play anywhere in the midfield. I have defensive and offensive capabilities, so wherever the coach puts me I will play. This season, because are playing with two defensive midfielders, I can say I am playing as an eight.

Do you see this as a good league to showcase your qualities and improve as a player, and then hopefully take the next step.

Definitely, it hopefully is a stepping stone for me but what a good education too. I think it will be easier to go from here to another league because you have already adapted to Europe and have played at a very high level. You look at a guy like Bruno Fernandes, he went from here to England [Sporting to Manchester United] and is doing good. Rúben Dias [Benfica to Manchester City] also just went from Portugal to England and has done very well and adapted easily to the Premier League. So it shows that the league is very competitive and you grow a lot as a player here in Portugal. And very quickly!

You are also coached by a former Portugal international midfielder in Petit. You must be learning quite a bit from him as he played in a similar position to you?

It has been really good, though he has had some issues this season with COVID that affected him and his family quite badly. But it is good now and he is always calling me after training and teaching me things, showing me how I can improve as a midfielder. And that is really great to learn from him. He has a lot of knowledge to share and he is helping me a lot.

You spoke earlier about Portugal being a stepping stone, is there another league in Europe that you think would suit your style of play?

England … big time. I really want to play there one day. I have a lot of admiration for the way Liverpool play. I would love to go there.

“I WOULD LOVE TO SHOW WHAT I CAN DO WITH THE NATIONAL TEAMS.”

So what are your immediate goals then at Belenenses?

The most important thing is just to play, play, play in each and every game. That will allow me to showcase what I have got. I am not looking for any other things at the moment. I still have another three years on my contract at the club and that is a lot of time to develop and learn.

You weren’t in coach David Notoane’s preliminary squad for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, but that was announced in February last year when your career was at a very different stage. You are just 21, do you see the Olympics as a realistic ambition for you now?

Definitely. Obviously with the national teams, that is not something you can control, but if I got the chance and they called me to go, I would love to go. I would love to show what I can do with the national teams. But if I don’t go then it is also motivation for me to work harder to reach that level.