This is gonna be my season
“Coach Benni and coach Brandon are the same in the way they treat people.”
Four years after making the breakthrough into professional football as a budding teenager, Siphesihle Maduna is ready to make the step up from a boy to a man. After all, he has been elevated to one of the key members of the AmaZulu FC squad following the exodus that saw a number of senior players, like Xola Mlambo, Siyethemba Sithebe and Hendrick Ekstein, part ways with the club. He has a new number, the famous and iconic 10, adorning the back of his jersey and a coach in Brandon Truter who has ultimate belief in him. With this
said, is this the season Maduna will stand up and be counted and stand out amongst his peers? Or will he go down as a naturally gifted player who never fulfilled his purpose? In this interview, Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver finds out from the 22-year-old why he feels the former will be his reality this campaign.
Delmain Faver: Sphe, new season, new face in the team, a new coach in his first full season at the club – the winds of change are certainly blowing for AmaZulu FC. Take us inside pre-season, what was it like foryou?
Sphesihle Maduna: We are really fit because we have been working hard every day and we are getting along with each other, so I can say we are a team now and we are ready for the season. We couldn’t wait for it to start.
DF: You mention the new guys, and there are quite a few. What have your impressions been of what they have brought so far?
SM:
They really make a good impact in the team, and they will really help the team this season. Maybe we will also be able to win a trophy or two this season and we will be able to make history because it has been so long since AmaZulu last won a trophy. So, it will be a really good season.
DF: Coach Brandon Truter, of course, has been there from last season, but this is his first full season with the club. What has it been like working under him?
SM:
All I can say is that he is one of the best coaches. He knows how to unite and motivate us as players. He also knows how to groom youngsters.
DF: Well, you are one youngster that he helped groom because in the seven matches you played under his guidance last season, you scored two goals and created one...
SM:
Ja, he showed me that he believes in me and that’s why I have to work for him. That’s why I was able to gain that confidence because he believed in me.
DF: Back in May, in a radio interview, the coach referred to you as a brilliant player who has surprised him with your potential, and that if you keep your feet on the ground, the sky is the limit for you. What do those words mean to you?
SM:
Yho, I have to work hard! The sky is the limit, not only with talent alone, but with hard work. Every day at training, even during games, I always have to give 100% because you never know who is watching. You always have to showcase your talent when you are playing. There’s no time to relax because at home they are waiting for their food. The family looks to you, therefore I have to work even harder and that will take me further in my life.
DF: You say that talent alone is not enough. A lot of people will argue, though, that special players like yourself tend to rely mostly on talent and that these players don’t work as hard as they should. What’s your take?
SM:
No, sometimes you don’t have to work hard, but you work smart, and I think that the talent has been given to me by God and working hard is just a bonus for me to shine and stand out from the other players.
DF: Brilliant answer! So, does it place more pressure on you when you are a teenage star who has broken through quite early, with everyone expecting you to have this great career because of the natural talent that God has given you?
SM: It doesn’t put me under pressure because the one thing I know is that when I am focused on my job, I am happy and the family is happy – the other stuff will see to itself. As long as I am happy and working hard and pleasing
God, then everything is possible.
DF: You are still only 22, having broken into the professional ranks as a prodigious teenager at 18. At this age, many of your peers are still at school or trying to get recognised. How was that transition for you?
SM: It was the best feeling ever. I can’t even explain it, but I think the talent I got is because of the ‘like father, like son’ thing, uyabona (you see)? Because my father was a great player. Unfortunately, he did not make it to professional football, but even now, everyone in our community knows how good he was, so I think I inherited it from him.
DF: Family plays such a crucial role in a footballer’s life. What kind of role does your dad play in your career?
SM: Eish, if I have a bad game, he will tell me, “No, here you didn’t play well, next time you must fix it.” I remember the first time I attended trials at AmaZulu, he told me to trap and pass and move into space and keep moving forward. He said most importantly, I need to score goals. Even if I have a great game, he will motivate me and tell me that I was at my best. Before and after each game, we will analyse and see where I made mistakes and where I can improve. But we talk over the phone because he stays in Jo’burg.
DF: Another person who believed in you was your former coach, Benni McCarthy, who showed great faith by recalling you when the club were on the verge of letting you go... SM: Eish... ja nhe, he believed in me, too much! And I wish more coaches can be like him. I think coach Benni and coach Brandon are the same in the way they treat people in the right way. Even you, as a player, you feel the need to work for them because they believe in you.
DF: It’s interesting to note that there is a new number on the back of your jersey. Tell us about the decision to switch from number 34 to the iconic number 10. SM: I felt like this is gonna be my season. I don’t wanna say much, but people will see as the season goes on. That is all I want to say. I don’t want to talk too much.
DF: Well, some people will point to the fact that it’s four years now that you’ve been in the pro ranks. So, tell us, what will be different this time around? SM: No, the more you play, the more you learn about football, and I am learning every day. I am growing mentally and now I think I am ready for every challenge that I am faced with this season.
DF: Looking at this AmaZulu team, a number of the players who have left are seniors. As someone who has been there for four years, and in addition to what you’ve just told us, is this the season where you step up and be a leader in the team?
SM: This season, all I can say is that a lot of people will bear witness. That is the one thing I can say. They will be happy and the fans of AmaZulu will be smiling again.
DF: Lastly, the club president, Sandile Zungu, has spoken about his desire to get his hands on a trophy and restore Usuthu to being one of the biggest clubs in the country. Is there talk amongst the players about repaying the big boss’ faith and granting his wishes?
SM: Ja, this season we are really hopeful of winning at least one trophy, maybe two. It’s either the league or the MTN8 or the Nedbank Cup, but trophies is the one thing we yearn for this season because we want to satisfy the owner.
To discuss this interview with Delmain, tweet him on @DelmainFaver