Like his name, unassuming Hlompho has earned his ‘respect’ at Sundowns

You run out of superlatives when you want to describe the contribution that Hlompho Kekana has made at Mamelodi Sundowns in the 10 years that he spent at Chloorkop and the man himself could barely hold back his tears when he said goodbye to a club he led as captain for half-a-dozen of years, lifting six league titles, four domestic trophies paired with the Caf Champions League and Super Cup.

READ ALSO: Hlompho Kekana and Mamelodi Sundowns part ways

As the saying goes: there are no permanent arrangements in life, and Kekana and Sundowns’ love affair came to an end on Wednesday – at least as a player – as club chairman Tlhopie Motsepe said the door will always be open for the veteran midfielder. Kekana is the most decorated captain South African football has ever seen, even though he missed out on the MTN8 trophy, which his club clinched last month.

“In my 10 years at Sundowns I have been trying to fish for that trophy and I could not find it. That is the only trophy that is missing in my cabinet and I am willing to trade one of my medals with anyone because it is important to me,” Kekana said.

The 36-year-old went on to share a heartwarming story where he met his idol as a primary scholar, and set a goal that later came to fruition and will form part of his legacy when he decides to hang up his boots.  

“When I was 12 years old my mother took me to the airport (OR Tambo International) and I wanted to meet my childhood hero, Mark Fish. I shook his hand and I told him that I will lift the Champions League and 25 years later I lifted the title because of that. If you set goals and you dream, the sky’s the limit,” Kekana said.

In his 17-year career where he turned out for Black Leopards, Bloemfontein Celtic and SuperSport United, Kekana has always played a big brother role, particularly in his twilight years at Downs. He left the likes of Sphelele Mkhulise and Promise Mkhuma with a message he hopes

“The lesson that you can take from my situation as a former Sundowns player, especially to the youngsters, is that your time at Sundowns is not forever. So the moments that you get on the field of play, make sure you get used to it because tomorrow is not promised in football.”