Confed Cup the only thing on Teboho’s mind
Tshepo Ntsoelengoe
It seems like it was just yesterday when Teboho Mokoena was dreaming of making a mark in the Absa Premiership while he was still playing football in his hometown of Bohlokong, Bethlehem in the Free State.
A couple of years later, after getting an opportunity to play at the Harmony Academy before joining SuperSport United’s development side in 2015, Mokoena is living his dream in Matsatsantsa’s senior team and is undoubtedly one of the key members of the side.
The 20-year old played a major role in the club’s MTN8 final success, where they beat Cape Town City 4-2 on penalties to win their first trophy this season, with Mokoena scoring one of the penalties.
At the weekend he was once again in the thick of things in the Pretoria’s side journey to the final of the Caf Confederation Cup as a 3-1 win at Club Africain in Tunisia completed a 4-2 aggregate win and earned them a meeting with DR Congo side TP Mazembe.
With a lot of game time coming his way, Mokoena, however, still believes there is still a lot of room for improvement.
“It is all about taking it one game at a time, I believe that is how one grows in this game. Everything just keeps on happening very fast because I still remember the days when I was playing in the streets back home,” said the central midfielder.
“Despite that, one also has to keep it in mind that there is a lot of work to be done. My motto has always been to work hard, That is what has actually helped me to become the player I am today.
“I had a dream of playing in the PSL as a young boy. Now that the dream has been accomplished I have to work towards my other dream, which is to play overseas. I don’t think there is any player who doesn’t want to play abroad. But first of all, you have to start by making your mark at home, then go out there and show the world what you can do on a bigger stage.”
Mokoena is a junior national team player, having represented the national Under-20s this year at the African Youth Championships held in Zambia and the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in South Korea.
His prowess in the junior national team and club also saw him get the nod for the Bafana Bafana squad during the African Nations Championship qualifier against Botswana in July. With so much to celebrate in just a short space of time in his career, the youngster is adamant he will keep on learning and is thankful to his former coach Stuart Baxter and his team-mates for believing in him.
“He (Baxter) believed in me and I will forever be thankful for the opportunity he gave me at the club. I have been getting a lot of support from everyone here. I consider myself very lucky because I am surrounded by a lot of experienced players who always show me the way to go. It was sad when coach Baxter left the club, but this is football, such things happen. I am just glad we have another great coach in Eric Tinkler,” he added.
“Playing in the national Under-20 team has also helped me to grow as a player, which I think was also the reason I got a call-up to the senior national team. But it doesn’t stop there, I want to earn more call-ups in the future.”
The focus for Mokoena and the rest of his SuperSport team-mates for now will be winning the Confederation Cup.