Mamelodi Sundowns defender-cum-midfielder Rivaldo Coetzee has opened up about his turning point at the club in the 2023/24 DStv Premiership season after staying on the sidelines for some time.
Coetzee played a little part at Sundowns last season after being sidelined by a long-term injury. The Kakamas-born utility player only managed to feature in five matches in all competitions.
However, he has seemingly overcome his injury crisis after establishing himself as a regular starter at Sundowns in this campaign.
Coetzee has already played nine games in all competitions for Masandawana, forming a solid partnership with Teboho Mokoena and Marcelo Allende in the middle of the park.
The 26-year-old joined the Tshwane giants at the start of the 2018/19 from Ajax Cape Town.
Prior to signing for Sundowns, Coetzee saw his proposed move to Scottish giants Glasgow Celtics called off after failing his medical due to an injury in his right foot.
With Coetzee seemingly back to his top form, he has opened up about the secret behind his good form.
COETZEE REVEALS SECRET BEHIND HIS GOOD FORM
“First of all, the credit must go to the coach [Rulani Mokwena] and the rest of the technical team,” Coetzee said.
“It’s not easy to be out for so long and you come back having coaches and a technical team that believes in you.
“And I think the pre-season was a good stepping stone, I think a good pre-season always sets you up to be part of the bigger picture for the whole season.
“Credit to my teammates as well, they’ve been so encouraging to stay with the team, it’s easy to stay with the team because there’s so much harmony in the team.
“It’s like I haven’t been away, it’s a privilege to be part of this team, to be with so much quality everyday. It just makes it so much easier to come back into the team after such a long layoff.
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