Hlompho Kekana hails Maart for his incredible Soweto derby goal

Former Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana has saluted Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Yusuf Maart for the unbelievable long range goal he scored in the Soweto derby recently. 

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Kekana, who was known for his penchant for such goals during his playing days, says it is not just any player who can score such goals. 

He says it takes real guts and a strong personality for a player to be brave enough to try such long range efforts. Kekana, however, refused to compare Maart’s goal to his incredible goals he scored for Sundowns.

“We can say that, but if I can count the ‘PlayStation’ goals I have scored… If we start comparing, it would be unfair,” said Kekana when asked about Maart’s goal.

Kekana was speaking on the sidelines of Carling Black Label’s World Cup match prediction launch in Sandton on Thursday afternoon. 

“It would be like me trying to take the shine off the young man who I believe applied himself well in a very big space, in such a big match. 

“He had the guts to do that. Remember that not every player can do that. You and I can go in that field without pressure and we might not even hit the crossbar. 

“That is how much pressure that situation has. You have to have real guts to do that. So, I salute him for that,” said Kekana. 

“There are not many players with such guts. I cannot talk about myself because I retired a long time ago. (But) My goals… you all know them, I cannot talk about them. 

“It takes guts and a strong personality to score such goals. Just imagine what everyone would say if you tried to score from the centre line and you missed – they would kill you. 

“But you have to understand your technique, your talent… I just mentioned that not many players can score those goals,” added Kekana. 

On Carling’s match prediction competition, Kekana said: “Carling is the sponsor of the Fifa World Cup here in South Africa. They are bringing the World Cup experience to the fans. 

“What I like about this initiative is that they are rewarding the fans because they can make predictions and win R25 000.”