A former PSL dribbling wizard well liked by the fanbase but who was eventually undone by a bureaucratic misfortune has now come out to share his struggles to nail down a contract in pro football.
Mthokozisi Ngcobo signed a two-year deal with Baroka ahead of the just-ended season by then head coach Morgan Mammila but was soon let go due to an ID-related mishap.
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Eventually, he did return at the beginning of the second round of the Motsepe Foundation Championship season but got released again as he found himself returning to a different coach.
Despite being loved by South African football supporters, the 24-year-old has, for unknown reasons, found it difficult to break into pro football.
"I know how to play productive because my modern football stats never lie and those are the qualities that I have in every game," he details to KickOff.com.
"I have assists, shots on targets, and a lot of successful forward passes completed. Skill is just a bonus for me, it’s something that I was born with, but what matters is to use it to the team's advantage rather than individual glory.
"I think it’s a matter of preference, but then I don’t think coaches hate players like us, they just want us to do it productively, benefiting the team. That’s all, because at the end of the day, goals win games and we play for three points.
"But, at the same time, we need those little elements to brighten the day because I don't think we should forget about the fans who sacrifice their things just to come and support us on the field of play. So, they need to be happy as well.
"I can’t say I am a showboater but a natural number 10 with good footwork," explains the lad affectionately known as 'Dancing Confidence', before delving into where it went haywire at the Limpopo outfit.
"I also don’t know what went wrong at Baroka FC, but I believe there was no time to regain my fitness because it was already the second round. I guess it was just not the right time for me.
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"Remember, I wasn’t playing anywhere, just training because I couldn’t even partake in any tournaments, including last year's Philis Games because I was under contract with Baroka FC.
"So, I lacked match fitness and, obviously, training with the team because training alone is not the same as being in a well-structured team."
This website understands Ngcobo will be one of the players to be assessed by the Chippa United during pre-season.
Photo: Philip Maeta/Gallo Images
