George Maluleka will tell you that every season of life is one of becoming, not always one of blooming like the lotus flower born out of the mud!
‘Mido’ has gone through his transformations like any other footballer. From the days of playing in tournaments in Tembisa, not too sure if professional football would happen to being developed at Tuks eventually. And then landing at Ajax Cape Town as a striker to be converted by Foppe de Haan. One thing has been constant – he has always been gracious to his ever-evolving self!
“I scored many goals as a striker, but several defenders were out injured one day, so the coach asked me to assist, and I did well. I later moved to midfield, and that’s been my position ever since,” he has previously said.
Arriving at Kaizer Chiefs after a second stint at SuperSport United, he developed into a top-quality, all-around midfielder whose six and a half years yielded 168 outings, 11 goals and 24 assists. At Amakhosi, ‘Mido’ grew in stature.
Perhaps that explains why former Chiefs midfielder Junior Khanye had misgivings about his hasty move to Sundowns in July 2020.
“Sundowns have hurt Chiefs big time with the signing of George. That’s a huge blow! But I want to believe that they haven’t signed him to play [regularly], they are disturbing Chiefs,” he was quoted in local media.
At Downs, Maluleka would compete with seasoned campaigners like Hlompho Kekana, Andile Jali, Tiyani Mabunda and Oupa Manyisa, Lucky Mohomi and Sammy Seabi. It was never going to be a stroll in the park. That he knew.
Fast-forward to April 2022; the former youth international is yet to knuckle down a regular place at Chloorkop. Kekana, Mabunda and Manyisa have left.
Jali remains; Rivaldo Coetzee, Mothobi Mvala and Teboho Mokoena have leapt over him in the pecking order. At times, he does not make the matchday squad for Masandawana.
His last two starts, which yielded a goal and two assists, bring his appearances for Downs to 19 in almost two years, and his coach Manqoba Mngqithi has shed light on his struggles.
“I speak to George a lot, and we’ve supported him in his journey with the other coaches because him not playing at Sundowns was not because he was not capable or he was not fitting in,” Mngqithi told journalists during a presser on Wednesday.
According to the former Downs co-coach, “George has been one of the most unlucky players I’ve ever worked with, ever since he joined Sundowns.”
On four occasions, while doing final preparations for a match, he picked injuries “in an unfortunate way”.
“There was the last one, I remember, he was on the right channel of the pitch, and he was trying to pass Safranko, last action of the training session, a perfect pass behind the defence, then the next thing ‘ah George is on the floor’. What has happened, quadriceps?” recalls the fatherly Mngqithi.
The unfortunate situations have come thick and fast across his time at Chloorkop. In Rulani Mokwena’s words: “George has done probably the most difficult thing that a football player can ever do, and that is to come to training every single day, be professional, work extremely hard, put a smile on your face, and even when you know that there is a huge possibility that you might not make the squad.”
Amid the uncertainty, the 33-year-old has consistently displayed maturity, hunger and good human qualities.
A month ago, Mokwena said: “I am sure when he gets the opportunity, he will be ready and grab it with both hands.” That he has done, two assists and a goal in his last two starts certainly puts him in good stead.
Mngqithi attributes his immediate impact to hard work and keeping himself in good shape. “I’m sure you can see how much weight he has lost since he arrived. He’s working very, very hard. He’s a very disciplined professional,” he said.
It is no surprise that so many people are interested in seeing him play and his teammates support him. The journey has been challenging. Perhaps Mido is that flower that blooms in adversity. The rarest and most beautiful of all!
