Fresh off lifting two trophies with Mamelodi Sundowns, Thabo Cele has opened up about the difficult final months he endured at Kaizer Chiefs before earning his free transfer to the Tshwane giants.
Cele signed with Sundowns for the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season as a free agent after parting ways with Amakhosi.
The highly-rated midfielder ended his 18-month stint at Naturena, where he initially arrived in January 2025 and made an immediate impact to help the club end a 10-year silverware drought by lifting the 2025 Nedbank Cup.
Cele featured in 36 appearances across all competitions for Chiefs before falling out of favour. Prior to the current campaign, the playmaker endured a frustrating period after being excluded from the squad’s pre-season tour to Spain.
Upon returning from Europe, Chiefs head coach Fernando Da Cruz publicly indicated that Cele is not part of his plans.
However, Cele continued to train away from the first-team squad before eventually sealing his exit to complete a move to Chloorkop.
THABO CELE SPEAKS ON HIS CHALLENGES AT CHIEFS
Since joining Sundowns, the 29-year-old midfielder has already collected two trophies, winning both the FIFA African-Asian Pacific Cup and the MTN8.
“For me, it’s always been about continuing to work hard and forgetting the distractions that are outside. Growing up, I always wanted to find myself,” Cele said.
“I always wanted to be in this kind of situation, and being here at Sundowns is massive—it is a huge motivation to go to the next level.
Reflecting on how he navigated his exit from Chiefs, Cele added: “For me, football is like life; it’s a journey that has difficult seasons. So going through what I went through and being here now is the same thing. I’m just pushing myself and focusing on what comes next.”
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