Youngsters close to Mahlangu’s heart

Mahlangu described his role in the Under-15 schools tournament as one that seeks to help today’s rising stars to “minimise” their mistakes compared to players in his generation.

The schools tournament finals, which has seen the likes of Percy Tau and Mojeka Madisha winning it in the past, kicked off yesterday in Port Elizabeth and the champions are set to be crowned tomorrow, with defending champions Clapham High School from Pretoria looking for a third successive title.

“This initiative is very close to my heart because I know how my upbringing was and I know the challenges these boys face in the townships. I share my life experiences with these boys and am honest about life in general because we are not only grooming footballers … we are building a person,” said Mahlangu.

“I am trying to contribute that the players who come after us must not make the same mistakes as my generation. Yes, everyone makes mistakes but these boys need to be well-equipped for challenges in football. We don’t want to be still talking about the drug and alcohol abuse generation after generation and have players who go broke after retiring. We need to break that curse at some point,” he added.

Together with his fellow ambassadors and former footballers Jabulani Mendu and Simba Marumo, Mahlangu told the youngsters that talent on its own is good, but it works a lot better if you pair it with hard graft.

“Most importantly, they need to believe in themselves and know that talent on its own is not good enough, you need to work hard. If a player like Cristiano Ronaldo can still train twice a day after he has received a lot of accolades, it shows you can be talented but you will need that dedication and that sacrifice, the commitment and heart to really push yourself to the next level,” said Mahlangu.

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