Casric Stars shot-stopper Wandile Mthombeni has detailed the pivotal decision to abandon his career as a midfielder to pursue a future between the posts.
Although he is now the undisputed number one for the Motsepe Foundation Championship side, Casric Stars, Mthombeni’s rise was a lesson in patience. He spent four seasons playing second fiddle to other goalkeepers before finally cementing his place in the starting XI this season.
He rose to prominence in February following his heroics in the Nedbank Cup Last 16, where Casric Stars stunned Orlando Pirates—the very team he grew up supporting—at Orlando Amstel Arena.
Interestingly, the club is co-owned and coached by his father, Bucs Mthombeni. And under the gudance of his dad, the goalie has also been in fine form during Casric Stars’ pursuit of promotion to the Betway Premiership.
The 25-year-old goalie has been in clinical form, racking up an impressive seven clean sheets in just 10 matches. His latest shutout came on Friday at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium, where his heroics helped Casric Stars secure a 1-0 victory over The Bees FC in a tightly contested Mpumalanga Derby.
HOW WANDILE MTHOMBENI QUIT BEING A MIDFIELDER TO BECOME A GOALKEEPER
He revealed to this publication how he stumbled into goalkeeping by accident during his high school days, a transition primarily driven by his height.
“I started as a midfielder in high school, and in one game, the goalkeeper got injured,” Mthombeni explained to FARPost.
“So I was the tallest of my teammates. That’s when I decided to go in goals. Then I started pulling saves, on the pitch. And I am someone who talks a lot, so I was good at organising [the defence] and all that.”
CASRIC STARS NUMBER ONE SAYS HE WAS SUPPORTED AFTER MAKING A CRITICAL CAREER DECISION
“So I was then encouraged to take goalkeeping seriously. So I didn’t start as a goalkeeper. It’s something that happened in my early high school years.”
On whether his father was against the decision, he said: “No. One thing about my dad is that he never chooses for me; he allows me to follow my own path. At first, he questioned why I chose to be a goalkeeper, but I told him it was what I loved.”
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