Smangaliso Mdlalose may be a star in the making
10-year-old Football sensation making waves at the Siphiwe Tsotetsi Challenge in Soweto.
While Mapetla Barcelona FC’s 7- 0 thrashing of Blues Dot Com was the biggest talking point at the weekend’s round of the Siphiwe Tsotetsi challenge. It was Lincoln City’s Smangaliso Mdlalose who stole the show during the Under 11’s quarterfinals.
Held at Dhlamini grounds in Soweto, the first annual pre-season knock-out tournament pit teams from Phiri, Dhlamini, Senaoane, Mapetla, Chiawelo and Fox lake against one another in honour of Soweto Football Association’s Deputy Chairman, Siphiwe Tsotetsi.
Lincoln sent Senaoane Gunners crashing out of the tournament with a 2-0 win. Mdlalose got his name on the score sheet with a solo run that saw him leave two defenders in his wake before slipping a finessed shot under the keeper’s arm.
Throughout the match, the 10-year-old dazzled with a display of nimble footwork beyond his years. Time after time, he zig-zag through Gunners defence with ease, prompting a round of applause from the attending crowd at the full time.
Although commonly used as an attacking midfielder, Mdlalose is quite comfortable playing any position on the field. An attitude his coach, Mdumiseni Buthelezi, said is a testament to the youngster’s passion for the game.
“He’s a utility player for us,” said Buthelezi.
“When we are winning I sometimes play him in defence to protect our lead. If we are losing, I play him as a forward to get us the goals and he never disappoints. Both his talent and dedication to soccer is second to none.”
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Speaking to Soweto Urban after the match, Mdlalose said he loves the sport with all his heart and expressed his dream of playing in the Premier Soccer League ( PSL) one day.
“I practice every day because I want to become a professional soccer player. When I grow up, I want to play in the PSL and I know I will have work hard to achieve that,” he said.
However, despite the talented youngster’s obvious potential, his coach admitted concern that his prodigy may not achieve his dream, mainly due to lack of scouting in the area from PSL teams.
“He has all the potential in the world, but like so many before him, there is a risk of his talent going unnoticed. Our players don’t enough exposure and scouts from PSL teams hardly ever come to these parts,” Said Buthelezi.
Others are more optimistic, the 10-year-old has already gathered somewhat of a following amongst the locals. Nkuna Amone, a Dhlamini resident in Soweto and a regular attendee of the junior matches, has been an admirer of Mdlalose’s talent for a while.
“He’s a special kid, people come to watch him play on most Saturdays,” said Amone.
“Not only exciting to watch, but you can see how serious he is about the game. I think that the level of dedication at such a young age could take him very far.”
Smangaliso ‘scooter” Mdlalose is expected to make his next appearance on the 9th of march for Lincoln City in the semifinals of the tournament to be played at the same venue.
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