Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has highlighted the embodiment of “selflessness” demonstrated by Themba Zwane and Thapelo Morena within the team.
Mngqithi was speaking in the pre-match press conference on Thursday as they gear up to face Mbabane Swallows in the second leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round scheduled for Saturday.
He praised ‘Mshishi’ for showcasing his unselfishness in the recent match against SuperSport United, where he refrained from interfering with Lucas Riveiro’s chip as it sailed into the net.
Mngqithi emphasised that this is one of the key leadership attributes that the club’s captain Zwane has.
MNGQITHI ON HOW ZWANE DEMONSTRATED UNSELFISHNESS IN A MATCH AGAINST SUPERSPORT
“We had a clear demonstration of that [selflessness] in the game that we just played against SuperSport from Themba Zwane,” said Mngqithi.
“If he was a selfish person, it would be very easy for him to want to score that goal that Lucas Ribeiro scored.
“But he realised that the ball was going on target and that was no one to stop it from going on target. And he still made sure that he does not touch that ball so that he could steal the glory and make it his goal.
“And that is selflessness and it’s amongst the five pillars of leadership.”
Mngqithi also heaped praise on Morena who has been with the club since 2016 after signing from Bloemfontein Celtic.
He described him as someone who prioritises the whole team’s desires rather than his own interests. He added that players like Morena are worthy of being considered for the captaincy.
MANQOBA MNGQITHI SAYS PLAYERS LIKE MORENA DESERVE CAPTAINCY
“For me, Thapelo [Morena] is an epitome of that,” he continued. “He’s a very good human being, very good boy. Besides being a good boy, he’s a very good professional.
“In this environment, for a player that has played the way he has played in this club from the beginning of his career at Sundowns, when we moved to Mudau in the right-back position because he was injured at that time, he never sulked even when he came back.
“He was ready to wait for his time and that for me, is what makes you as a player because what you give, sometimes, is what you get.
“So, if you are selfish and it’s always about you, it always comes back and bite you.
“His career is this long probably because of that. He has suffered a lot of bad injuries but because of his positive energy, mind and a lot of other positives.
“You’ll see the relationships he has with other right-backs. You even think he’s playing a different position because if he’s outside, he’s coaching them, he’s talking, shouting and telling them what to be aware of.
“And that’s the quality of what we want to build in this club. To be honest, it’s players like these that deserve to get captaincy in clubs.”
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