How Manyathela inspired a young Mudau
Wherever he is, the late Orlando Pirates striker Lesley “Slow Poison” Manyathela must be proud that the seed he planted many years ago in a young and aspirant Bafana Bafana defender Khuliso “Sailor” Mudau has blossomed into a full-blown marvel.
With an Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) bronze medal around his neck, Mudau sat at the team’s hotel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, last week and remembered when all this was just a dream.
Growing up in Musina, Limpopo, the Mamelodi Sundowns right-back, who was unlucky not to be included in the Caf team of the tournament, recalled how he was inspired by Manyathela. “Slow Poison” was at the time making waves with the Buccaneers, and inspired football-mad youngsters in Venda and around the country.
“I used to watch Lesley a lot. We are from the same hometown in Musina,” said Mudau, 28, whose solid performance at Afcon is said to have impressed English Premiership side Burnley, where Bafana teammate Lyle Foster plays.
“I vividly remember when he [Manyathela] came back home, he drove a nice car, and things were looking good for him. I used to say to myself that one day I will be where he was. It was just a dream but I knew it would happen for me when the time was right.
“I used to also admire former Black Leopards star midfielder Christopher Netshidzivhe because he played good football. It is just a pity that sometimes things go wrong. Lesley was an inspiration to a lot of us, and his death was devastating to us because we lost a role model.”
Mudau appreciates the support he received from his mother Margaret. “I told my mom when I started playing football that I was going to make her proud by turning professional. Obviously you dream about playing with the best players and the best teams as a youngster,” he said.
“I left my mom when I was doing Grade 3 to play football. She is one person who knows how difficult it was to get to where I am now. It was a tough journey with many ups and downs. I have a strong bond with my mother because she was there for me all the way.”
Another person who played a crucial role in Mudau’s development is Black Leopards official Tshifhiwa “Chief” Thidiela. “I am not surprised with what he has gone on to achieve in football, actually I know he can still go far. I used to fight with him a lot when he was at Leopards because he was not fully focused on football but distracted by other things in Polokwane,” said Thidiela.
“I made him understand that he can earn a good living from football if he is dedicated. There were times where I would call his parents so that we put him into line and I am happy that he has responded well. I am happy for him.”
Thidiela recalled that a lot of people were against Leopards selling Mudau to Sundowns, “saying he won’t play because of Thapelo Morena, but he has worked hard, and he is now one of the best right-backs on the continent”.
Over the years, Mudau had to evolve, which has helped him become versatile and excel at Sundowns and during Afcon. “I changed positions a lot over the years. When you play football in the township, you are a defender when the team is winning and when goals were needed, I played as a striker or a winger.
“As a player, you must always improve. At Sundowns there are a lot of corrections, a lot of meetings where you go through footage of your games. If the technical team is not happy, they will tell you where to improve.”
Mudau impressed at Afcon but said he had not received any contracts as yet. “If that opportunity comes, I will take it but for now I can’t say anything because I don’t know what is happening and I’ll just wait.”