We’re not under pressure
Tshepang Mailwane: Hello, Peter. It’s great to have you on Soccer Laduma’s pages as we know a lot of our readers relish the opportunity of hearing from you.
Peter Shalulile: I give glory to God first for making it possible for me to be here.
TM: Before we go any further, tell us, how difficult was it having to watch your side’s 2-1 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs over the weekend on the sidelines, due to injury?
PS: Not being part of the game was disappointing for me a nd my teammates, but you know, life hapsorry pens. For the loss, I feel for my teammates because we grinded and we tried to fight, but it’s just unfortunate that we lost the game. But we need to dust ourselves off and try to look onto the next one.
TM: Does that defeat serv e as a wake-up call going into the final few weeks of the season?
PS: It’s one of those situations where you should be pressured, but for us, it’s not like that. We are not feeling that pressure because we always take it one game at a time. We are not under pressure. We have our own race to run and we always focus on where we want to go. So far, we just know that we should do what we have to do and, at the end of the day, or the end of the season, we are definitely going to take it.
TM: You were on a good run of possibly finishing the season unbeaten. Had you guys hoped that you would go the entire campaign without a defeat, which has never been done in the PSL?
PS: Any team can get beaten, my brother, and you can lose at any given time. I always say that God knows whether you will be unbeaten or not. Also, the top teams go on such a run and then they get beaten, so this is not new. Our focus was not really on that. We know what our target is and we will keep working hard to get it.
TM: Will you be back in time to face Orlando Pirates this weekend?
PS: I believe so, yes. To be honest, they gave me seven days (from the time of the injury) for recovery and I will come back strong.
TM: What are your thoughts on that clash?
PS: It’s like any other game for us. We are definitely ready for them and we will see how it goes. We are ready.
TM: What would it mean to win the league title with Sundowns and how much of a push do you think secondplaced AmaZulu FC will give you in these final few weeks of the season?
PS: It would be a great achievement if we can all the way
because it would be my first trophy with a team that I joined not too long ago. It’s going to be a blessing and it’s going to mean a lot to me. There’s AmaZulu, but we are not focused on other people. We are only focused on our race going forward, nothing else.
TM: How would you describe the way the team as a whole has performed this season?
PS: The (overall) performance this season has been excellent, but we are still learning as a team and we still want to be better than we have been. But all in all, I’d say we are doing well as a team. We are out of the (Nedbank) cup, but there is nothing we can do. It’s just about looking at the next one, which is the league and the Champions League.
TM: Moving on to you as an individual now, you’ve had a stellar season. Do you ever feel the need to pinch yourself when you look at where you are and how your first sea
son has gone with Mamelodi Sundowns so far? PS: Where we are today is (due to) the hard work the team has put in, you understand? Personally, at the start, I did not expect this, but eventually with the work the club has put in and the work that I have also put in, it ended up being what is it now with the performances and all that. Things are going well, but we have not won anything yet. People can say that everything is going well, but we have not achieved anything yet. We did not win a trophy for me to say it’s going well, but so far, so good.
TM: Why do you think you were able to settle in so quickly to life at Chloorkop?
PS: To be honest, it’s the technical team, and I also have to give credit to my teammates because they keep on encouraging and motivating me each day. Every day, I have learnt something. When you are on the field, they teach you and when you are off the field, they encourage you to keep on going.
TM: How different is the coaching you’re getting to the one you’re receiving at Highlands Park?
PS: Not to say the other coaches were not good, but I always say that this team’s mindset is different, you know. They only want the best from their players and they invest their time and energy just to make sure a player is at his best. It’s a place where you come and learn. You come and learn to improve and you come to win things. The people here are experienced, and they are on another level. It’s a place where when it’s time to work, you work.
TM: You’ve been able to click so well with the likes of Themba Zwane, Gaston Sirino, Kermit Erasmus and Lebohang Maboe…
PS: I found good players when I got here and they make things look easy, so clicking with them is very easy because they guide you. I have been guided by Erasmus, I have been guided by Themba Zwane. There’s a lot of great players here at Sundowns and they have been helping me a lot.
TM: Why did you decide to join the Brazilians?
PS: To win trophies, my brother, and take my football to another level. To be honest, that’s every person’s dream – to win trophies. All I want to do is improve and help the club in any way that I can help. Playing in the Champions League is also another level. Joining Sundowns gives you an opportunity to play there. I am finally there and I am trying my best to help the team in the competition.
TM: You were so highly-rated at the Lions of the North and director Larry Brookstone mentioned that you were worth R30 million. Did you feel you were worth that much?
PS: It’s football. Anyone can put a price tag on you. If they feel that you are worth that price, then you are. I did not know about being worth that much, but now I know it’s possible that anyone can be worth R30 million. But for me, that does not even trigger me. I just play football because I don’t have time for those things of knowing how much your worth is. I know my worth, but I did not know the money I was worth.
TM: Does this show you how much your previous club valued you?
PS: Yes. They rated me highly, just like everyone else at Highlands Park. That’s how it was. You must remember they are the ones who brought me to South Africa and I learnt a lot while I was there, not only in terms of football, but also with things outside of life. I had a good time there, but I had to move on. It was a good place for me to start in South Africa. Everyone has to start somewhere.
TM: It’s the first time you are playing in the CAF Champions League, but you are making it look like you have been playing on that stage for years. What’s the experience been like?
SP: It’s good playing there and I am used to playing in the national team and playing against some of the top teams on the continent, so it’s good and helpful. Also, I am at a club that has won this competition and they are used to it, so they mould me and tell me to do the right things and I am doing them.
TM: Has it taken your game to another level?
PS: Yes, because it’s not the same as playing in the PSL. There, it’s tougher.
TM: The team is looking good to win another league title. What would it mean for you to go all the way with Sundowns and win the Champions League in your first season in the competition?
PS: It would mean a lot, my brother. I used to watch and now, fortunately, I am here playing in the competition. It would mean a lot to me and it would also mean a lot to the club because, like I told you, the club only wants to win trophies and perform well. So, I can say it’s going to be a good feeling if we can go all the way at the end of the day. When there are quality players, it is something else, my man. They really make things look easy. This is a big club and there are big players and it’s going to be easy being around these players and big coaches who will actually teach you a lot on how to handle yourself when it comes to playing in the Champions League.
TM: What are your three coaches – Manqoba Mngqithi, Rhulani Mokwena and Steve Komphela – bringing to the team and to your game?
PS: Everyone has their own way of bringing things to the team. They have different characteristics, but they are good characteristics for the team. Each of them has their own way of bringing something to the team.
TM: You joined Downs at a time when Pitso Mosimane had just left for Al Ahly. Were you not worried when he left and can you remember what was going through your mind at the time?
PS: No, I can’t really remember what was going through my mind. (But) I was not worried about that. I just went to Sundowns to do my job. I am happy with my performances, but I know that I can still improve.
TM: You’ve recently been linked with a move to Al Ahly. How much do you know about this?
PS: I don’t focus on such things, my brother. If a club wants you, they will go directly to the team itself, not the player. I don’t know much about that. It’s just something I heard of. I don’t even read those things.
TM: Opposition defenders obviously know your strengths, but despite that, you keep scoring week in and out. Why do you think that is?
PS: When you have people behind you who are quality, they make it easy. The midfielders make the things look easy. They are there to assist a player. I am playing around quality players, so they make things look easy. That’s why I try to make sure that I am in the right place at the right time in the box and I try to make sure that with any opportunity that comes, I score. I feel that my finishing can still improve.
TM: How do you deal with that special attention from opposition teams who always probably have two or three defenders keeping a close eye on you?
PS: When people are playing against you, then you have to do something that they don’t expect from a player. So, that’s what I try to do when I am on the pitch.
TM: Recently, Soccer Laduma ran a feature on you and coach Owen da Gama spoke about how your hard work sets you apart from other players, saying that you may miss 10 chances, but you will always get that goal. What do you feel sets you apart from others? PS: I don’t give up, my brother. That’s how I can sum it (up). I don’t give up. It comes from home. I was always told by my mother not to give up wherever you are in life because you just don’t know how close you are to succeeding. So, I don’t give up. My family is very proud and happy.
TM: It sounds like your family has played a big role in your football career…
PS: They have pushed me, and they have always encouraged me not to give up. There was nothing else, in terms of school and so on. I only had football, so they encouraged me to a point where (when) I wanted to give up, they kept on pushing (me).
TM: How has football helped you to give back to them?
PS: I am at Sundowns now, but I’ve always helped them in terms of things I have to do at home. They are the first people I look up to. When I get something, I first look at them to make sure they are satisfied or that they are happy.
TM: In that feature, coach Thierry Mulonzo mentioned that you only bought a car when you joined Sundowns. All this time you did not have a car.
PS: I am not into those things, my brother. I am not into the life of buying fancy things. I am just a normal person who is used to staying like that.
“It’s going to be a blessing and it’s going to mean a lot to me.”
TM: How were you surviving without a car?
PS: I was surviving because I don’t go around. I was okay. I am not a person who goes around. I am a person who stays indoors. That’s just who I am. There’s nothing out there. Because I play football, I need to be focused at all times and get enough rest. So, for me, I don’t see anything that’s out there. For other people, they can see that, but for me, no.
TM: What convinced you to finally get a car?
PS: Now that training is a bit far, that’s why I got a car. I don’t want to waste money to buy unnecessary things. I was taught back home that you should not play with money. At the end of the day, I always say that life is unpredictable, so you don’t know where you will end up.
“I was only targeting to get the Top Goalscorer award.”
TM: It was mentioned by Tapuwa Kapini that your father was in the military. How much of a role has your father played in terms of discipline in your life?
PS: A lot, my brother. In terms of how you treat people, you must treat people with respect. You must do things in a neat way, you know. When you work, you must always make sure that you give it your best. So, he taught me all those things. He is one of the big influences in my life.
TM: Is this why you always have your shirt tucked in?
PS: It’s discipline. Always be neat. That’s what I have learnt.
TM: Do you see yourself as a contender for the PSL Footballer of the Season award?
PS: Eish, I would leave that up to the people to choose for that award and I will leave it up to God, you know. A lot of people deserve the award, so at the end of the day, it will be God’s will.
TM: How much satisfaction do you derive from winning individual awards?
PS: Every player wants individual awards, but I always say we are humbled to a point where we don’t want to say what we want. We are just going to be happy with what you get. As for me, I was only targeting to get the Top Goalscorer award, not knowing that I want to be a Player of the Season. That’s how it was for me.
TM: The top scorer award for you is what you want more?
PS: Yeah, anything is possible. Let’s just hope so. There’s a fourgoal difference at the moment (with top scorer Bradley Grobler), so let’s see. It’s really possible.
TM: Thank you so much for your time, man. Good luck with the defence of your league title.
PS: Thank you. ❐
Before Highlands Park sold their Premiership status to TS Galaxy chairman Tim Sukazi, they made it clear that Peter Shalulile and Mothobi Mvala would not be part of the deal, to ensure they cashed in on two of their most prized possessions. And the one club that would definitely have the deep pockets to afford the duo was none other than Mamelodi Sundowns, who are said to have forked out more than just a few coins to secure the services of the two players. Almost a season since this transaction, the Tshwane giants can say without hesitation that they
have no regrets whatsoever, such has been their impact. Shalulile, in particular, has been in incredible form, fitting into the system almost immediately. He is banging in the goals almost every week for the defending Premiership champions and many see him as a contender for Footballer of the Season. The hard-running forward has combined so well with the likes of Themba Zwane, Gaston Sirino and Kermit Erasmus and it’s hard to see the side playing without him at times, as was the case last weekend when Sundowns went down 2-1 to Kaizer Chiefs. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane, Shalulile talks about his time at the Chloorkop-based outfit so far, the attention he gets from defenders and the amount of money his former club said he was worth.