Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Themba Zwane has revealed a moment that made the club cherish him more after they sent him out on loan to Mpumalanga Black Aces.
Sundowns signed Zwane from Vardos FC in 2011, where the then 20-year-old's transfer was billed as the most expensive in the country for an amateur footballer.
However, Zwane could not immediately find his feet at the star-studded Brazilians and after one-and-half seasons was sent out on loan to Black Aces.
READ | PSL Big Three’s AFCON interest
'Mshishi' says his spirit was down after he was told he's going out on loan to Aces but he was helped to stay focused by a call from Sundowns legend Surprise Moriri.
"When they loaned me out, my spirit was down but Surprise called me and said, 'No, you know a loan doesn't mean you're a bad player but it says go and get game time and enjoy your football and you'll come back. So that's what I did," Zwane said on The Pitchside Podcast published on the club's official YouTube Channel.
READ | Sundowns legend: Bafana will come back early
The 34-year-old, currently with Bafana Bafana at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, went on revealed that his former coach at Aces, the late Clive Barker was instrumental in shaping his career after he suggested that he will take Zwane to either Orlando Pirates or Kaizer Chiefs if Sundowns did not want to use him.
"He's (Barker) the guy that gave me confidence, he believed in me. He pushed me. He even told me before the season finished that, 'I don't want to see you here next season'," Zwane continued.
"'It's better if Sundowns don't want you, you go to maybe Pirates or Chiefs," he revealed.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
