The man who discovered Kamogelo Sebelebele reveals that the talented midfielder was overlooked by several clubs before TS Galaxy FC gave him his big break three years ago.
Sebelebele has already scored two goals in four appearances for Orlando Pirates this season.
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Innocent Chikoya, former head coach at Gauteng-based Shumba Football Development Academy, says the blistering winger’s road to the top did not come suddenly.
"When I talk about Mike (Sebelebele's other name), I’m referring to a player I groomed for five years at the Shumba Football Academy, where he played in the GDL U-17, U-19, and SAB teams before moving to Tembisa, where TS Galaxy signed him for their under-19 team," opened up the ex-Pirates left-back, speaking to KickOff.com.
"What he is doing now, he was consistently doing before – he scored three to four goals per match. His first hat-trick was against SuperSport United, where he scored four goals in the U-17 division.
"We keep these achievements to ourselves because, at the end of the day, we are not recognised for our efforts. We know what Mike Sebelebele is capable of. One-on-one, he is unstoppable. He can simply push the ball past you and be gone. No unnecessary dribbling. Out of five chances, Mike will score four,” he continued.
Chikoya says more should be expected of the speed merchant, and that the Buccaneers faithful ‘haven’t seen anything yet’.
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“There will be more goals. I used to play him anywhere in the attacking position. The problem is that when we develop these boys and invite coaches to take a look, people often ignore us.
"We even approached some PSL teams - without naming names - to consider Mike, but they turned a blind eye."
Sebelebele will be eyeing another sublime performance in the second leg of the MTN8 semi-final against Mamelodi Sundowns at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday, having netted a crucial strike in last weekend’s 1-1 first-leg draw.
Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
