Downs snap up Danone Nations Cup Mpumalanga twins
JOBURG – Mamelodi Sundowns have snapped up two Mpumalanga twins to join their academy.
The football dreams of twins Kamohelo and Kagiso Mashiloane have come true after they were scouted by the Mamelodi Sundowns Academy.
The twins play for Nancy Shiba Primary School in Witbank, Mpumalanga, and displayed their amazing skills at the Danone Nations Cup national finals at Reiger Park’s WJ Clements Stadium.
As the theme of the annual Danone Nations Cup competition is Believe in your Dreams, every year inspiring and motivating stories emerge, showing that the tournament allows young boys to do just that.
The school did well this year, their second year playing in the tournament, and thanks mainly to the contribution of these two exceptionally gifted players.
The twin boys have a fine football pedigree as their father, Petros ‘Zane’ Mashiloane, played for Witbank Spurs in the 90s. After retiring from the game, Petros started his own soccer club in Nkangala where the boys started off.
At the Danone finals back in May, the scouts for Mamelodi Sundowns were so impressed with the youngsters that they snapped them up immediately.
Even though Kamohelo plays in defence, he scored one of the best goals of the finals against Van Rensburg Primary School.
Petros watched his boys play in the provincial and national finals and expressed pride in their performances. “I’m grateful to Danone for giving this wonderful opportunity to the boys,” he said.
“It opens doors, builds confidence and careers. I never had such opportunities in my playing days.”
Being selected for the Sundowns Academy is a dream come true for the youngsters. Petros said. “There is an exceptional bond between the two boys
and the fact that both were selected for Sundowns was good for them, as they want to be together. They play better when they are together.”
The Sundowns scout, Mandla Mazibuko described Kamohelo as a mini version of current Sundowns player Keagan Dolly. “He is small, but dynamite comes in small packages,” he said.
Midfielder, Kagiso is excited to be at Sundowns with his brother and best friend. “We like to play together,” he said.
“It’s great that we were both invited to be part of the Sundowns Academy.”
For Kamohelo, the best thing about having a twin brother is there is always someone to play with and they never get bored. “When we are together
we discuss school work and we watch a lot of soccer on TV together. We like to compare all the players and decide who is better in the various positions,” he said.
