It was like a dream come true
Tokelo Mokhesi: You are heading into your second season at Pretoria Callies. How are things going, as well as the mood in the team ahead of the new campaign?
Mpho Mlangeni: Things are going okay and we are preparing for the new season. We have a lot of work to do. The mood is good and I’m looking forward to the new season. I hope I will get more opportunities to play and perform to the best of my ability. We’ve played a few friendly matches and I think I’ve done well, but because we started preparations a bit late, our sharpness is still lacking. However, we will catch up and be
ready for the season.
TM: But having played in the eKasi Champ of Champs tournament recently, you sort of have an edge in terms of match fitness and sharpness.
MM:
You could say that because I continued to play after the season ended in the kasi tournaments and the eKasi Champ of Champs,
my sharpness and fitness levels are on par.
TM: After the eKasi Champ of Champs tournament in Soweto, which was beamed live on television, your name was on everyone’s lips. How would you sum up your performance?
MM: Tjo, it was a bit challenging, to be honest, because I’m a professional player and, at the same time, I’m going to play in the tournament, which was a risk as I could have got injured. But going into the tournament, I told myself that it is now or never, as I didn’t get enough chances to play last season at (Pretoria) Callies, so it was an opportunity for me to sell myself, showcase my abilities or risk not being known as a footballer at all. At some point, I need to show who Mpho is and what he is capable of doing. I think I grabbed the opportunity with both hands as I displayed what I can do.
TM: Looks like you are pleased with how everything turned out for you…
MM: Not really, man. I think I showed my abilities at 80 percent because if I didn’t score the goals, I don’t think anyone would have noticed me.
TM: Did any of the DStv Premiership or Motsepe Foundation Championship clubs approach you or make an offer?
MM: No, they didn’t, which kind of surprised me as I thought I played well enough to attract interest, you know. But I don’t want to dwell on that. I will continue to work hard as Callies is a good platform in the First Division to attract interest.
TM: But it has been mentioned that Kaizer Chiefs made enquiries about your services, with Callies apparently putting a R1 million price tag on your head.
MM: Those are just rumours because I asked my agent Karabo Mathang and she was shocked and said no one from Chiefs approached her. I also found out about the R1 million price tag in your newspaper, Soccer Laduma. But I have to say to be linked with Chiefs is an honour. I don’t know if the report is true, but such media reports can give one self-motivation to keep on pushing.
TM: Well, you made a good impression at the tournament and ended as top scorer, receiving praise from fans for your displays. MM : The whole of South Africa knows
Thebiggestandmost famous township in South Africa, Soweto – Zondi 2 to be specific – is home to Mpho Mlangeni, a lad whose love for football has taken him places. Affectionately known as “Mbiba”, he is in pursuit of a dream foretold by his grandfather, a Buccaneer to the core, who saw in him a future Jomo Sono after a random kick of his baby feeding bottle nogal! It would seem, too, that Orlando Pirates runs in the veins for his family, for, besides his granddad, the 26-year-old’s mother is a staunch Orlando Pirates fan, he says. So, there are no prizes for guessing where the Pretoria Callies attacking midfielder would like to see himself one day. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Tokelo Mokhesi, Mlangeni talks about his impressive showing at the recent eKasi Champ of Champs, which reportedly attracted the attention of… wait for it… Bucs’ archrivals Kaizer Chiefs!
Mpho “Mbiba” Mlangeni and that makes me proud, but I still need to work hard to play in the Premiership. Many people know me as “Mbiba” in the kasi football circles in and around Gauteng. I have to work my way up and fulfil my dream of playing for Orlando Pirates. That’s why during the eKasi
Champ of Champs final, I played my heart out because I was playing at Pirates’ home ground. I pictured myself wearing the number 10 jersey of the Buccaneers.
TM: It must have made you feel closer to your dream, playing at Orlando Stadium and using Pirates’ change room.
MM: Yho, Tokelo, my man, it was like a dream come true. In fact, the game was supposed to be played at Dobsonville Stadium, but due to a protest, the game was taken to Or(which lando Stadium, was) God’s work. The next thing, I score two goals for my team Chipolopolo FC against Chego 17 in the final. It is just unfortunate that we lost the final, but it was a good experience playing in front of a big crowd.
TM: We can imagine… MM:
I hope my breakthrough is near, man, but I’m taking it one day at a time, just putting in the work and hoping that God makes it possible for me to reach my goal. You can plan, but at the end of the day, God decides. I don’t want to put myself under pressure and say Mpho has to be playing for Pirates at this age and has to be there after 25 or 30 as that’s pressure. It will end up destroying me because I believe good things take time to happen.
TM: Let’s talk about your love and desire to play for Ezikamagebhula. MM : I remember my mom once told me a story of how… I think I was 11 months and my mom recalled a day when I was sitting outside and, as I stood up, I kicked my milk-drinking bottle.
So, my grandfather said, “That boy is a future Pirates star. He is going to be like Jomo Sono.” From that day, I started following Orlando Pirates with my grandfather’s influence. My mom as well is a Pirates fan, ha, ha, ha, eish. I started playing football at
the age of six at Zondi in Soweto and I went on, and I am here today, with big dreams of wearing the Black and White jersey of Pirates. But even if I get an opportunity to play for Chiefs, I will take it – I mean, football is football and I want to play at the
highest level after all. I just want to play, but preferably for Pirates as I want to live my dream and the dream of my grandfather and make my mom proud as well.
TM: Interesting, Mpho. Moving on, being from Soweto, how did you end up at Callies?
MM: I have been at Callies for a year now and the upcoming season will be my second season. So, while playing in Soweto, I did well in the kasi football tournament and ended up playing for a team in Tembisa called You First, as we travel a lot. But to answer your question, my agent informed me about trials at Pretoria Callies, I went, and when I got there, Joel Masutha was the coach. I impressed him and, luckily, the team signed me. That’s how I got there.
TM: It seems like township football has played a huge role in your
career.
MM: I played in many kasi football tournaments… KwaMahlobo Games, Discovery Challenge and many others. And remember, I didn’t get an opportunity to play at the development level due to favouritism, so kasi tournaments give us a platform to market ourselves. I ca n mention a host of players who made it to the professional ranks through kasi football – Sibusiso Vilakazi, Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane, Thuso Phala and
Teko Modise are some of them. These tournaments help us to reach our dreams. Scouts attend these tournaments, so opportunities for one to get recognised are plenty, even though as a player, you need to be properly developed and play in an academy to grow and be fully developed. So, kasi tournaments helped me a lot. I played for Zondi Youngsters – that’s where I started – and then I went to Dobsonville Sundowns and also played for Zondi Bay United, where Njabulo Blom of Kaizer Chiefs played as well.
TM: Sure. So, did you play with
Blom?
MM: Same team, but different division. When he was playing for U17, I was still playing at the U15 level.
TM: Must be quite inspirational him at Amakhosi nowadays.
seeing
MM: Definitely. He is proving that with hard work and dedication, it is possible to make it, and moving from Zondi Bay to Chiefs development helped him a lot as well. He is a good player. Development is key, but Soweto is full of talented players. In fact, SA is gifted with talent, it just needs to be nurtured and polished.
TM: You say you didn’t get an to play at the devellevel…
opportunity opment
MM: I was expecting that question, ha, ha, ha. I would say I got a bit of development at Dobsonville Sundowns, Mambas actually, as we played in a system we called ‘broken line’, starting the ball
from the back, but now they call it a window system. So, my developmentwasfromalotofcoachesinthe township and I am happy with the progress I have made, but there is always room for improvement.
TM: Back to Callies. With coach Masutha now no longer part of the club, how are you adjusting to coach Kwanele Kopo’s methods?
MM:
“But even if I get an opportunity to play for Chiefs, I will take it…”
Yeah, so far everything is going well, but I am one person who doesn’t plan. Like I said, God decides. I just want to enjoy my game and all I can say is when I get an opportunity to play, I will grab it. I can’t promise the fans that I will score seven or provide six assists, but all I am saying is that if I get an opportunity, I will use it and play.
“It will end up destroying me because I believe good things take time to happen.”
TM: We hope you go on and do just that in the 2022/23 season, and who knows, maybe your Bucs dream is closer to realisation than even you think. MM: Dankie (Thank you), Tokelo.