Tumisang Motsei lives and breathes being on the pitch

Tumisang Motsei is a defensive go-getter determined to take the world of football by storm.

Motsei has versatility, lightning-quick tactical ability, and raw physical strength of which this centre-back and right-back sensation used to his advantage to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with on the pitch.

Fresh from a phenomenal season with CD Leganes U23, where he led by example as captain and racked up four goals and nine assists, Motsei’s stock is soaring with his skillset and leadership qualities even catching the attention of football heavyweights like Kaizer Chiefs and TS Galaxy, preparing him for a new chapter in his career.

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“It feels amazing. These are two great clubs with massive futures ahead of them. I grew up as a Kaizer Chiefs fan so hearing my name in the same conversation with a great team like that is honestly an honor. I hope these teams do see the potential I have, and decide to give me a chance. I’m confident enough to say that it wouldn’t be a chance that I would take for granted, and they wouldn’t ever regret it.”

He said football has always been his life since he was a child, and even when he looks back at his life nearly all of his best memories are when he had a ball at his feet, whether it was playing in the park with some friends, or just a fun game of pick-up football during break at school.

“In terms of a role model, off the field, I always looked at my mom as my hero, because I know it wasn’t easy at all being a single soccer mom, but she made it all work out for me so I’ve got endless love towards her. On the field, I obviously looked up to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are the greatest players of our generation and arguably all time, but I also really liked Mario Gotze who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina.”

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While reflecting on the recent game that got him his badges of honour, he said it started off very slow and they got punished in the first half. They were 2–0 down with one of their midfielders getting a red card.

“Going into the change room at half time, we were all a bit shocked and at a loss for words on how this had all happened in the first 45 minutes, but after a couple of debates and some encouraging words we ended up winning the game 3–2, after fighting tooth and nail just to make it all work out. Which to me was extremely impressive, but also such a roller coaster of a game which is what I absolutely love.”

Motsei is passing on his knowledge at the moment, as he is coaching two teams at Fourways High School. “I always advise them that, at the end of the day, you need to have fun and you need to love what you do, but at the same time there is no fun in losing. I tell them that focus promotes growth and growth promotes improvement and if you’re doing all of that then the rest will all happen in due time accordingly.”

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