Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Samkelo Zwane has revealed how his footballing journey began as a striker. The 22-year-old scored a goal and assisted in the Carling All Stars XI’s 3-0 victory over Magesi FC. He showcased his versatility by playing in a more advanced midfield role.
The Chiefs academy graduate has primarily played as a defensive midfielder or as an eight under Nasreddine Nabi. But he started as a 10 in the Black Label Carling Cup.
“The first time I played for a club, I was 12 at Balfour Park,” Zwane told FARPost. “That’s the first club I played for, and I was a striker. I’m the one who chose to be a striker. You know, when you’re young, you just want to score goals. I used to score goals a lot.”
WHY SAMKELO ZWANE SWITCHED TO MIDFIELD
However, Zwane soon realised that he wanted more involvement in the game. “As a striker, you don’t really get the ball as much. I wanted to be more involved inside the game,” he explained. “So, I felt to be more on the ball, I should play midfield.”
The youth international is known for his impressive passing range. He explained: “The passing thing, I used to go to the park with my father, sometimes at the stadium or in our backyard, and I’d just hit long balls. Sometimes it would be my older brother.”
Zwane’s versatility is evident in his ability to adapt to different positions. “For me, it’s wherever the coach needs me to play. I can even play right back, I’m comfortable playing in any position,” he added jokingly.
Currently, Zwane’s role at Chiefs involves a more box-to-box approach. He has started four matches under Nabi and been introduced as a substitute four times.
“The role is to be a box-to-box in the system that we use,” he explained. “I’m working on my endurance, Majdi [Safi, the conditioning coach] gives us our reports on the GPS system.” He also identified an area for improvement: “I need to be more aggressive defensively.”
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