Kekana’s hard work is paying off
The long-range goals that Hlompho Kekana is famous for have not always made him a popular figure.
|||Johannesburg - The long-range goals that Hlompho Kekana is famous for have not always made him a popular figure. He faced scrutiny when, at a young age, he had the audacity to score from the halfway line.
But that experience didn’t deter him; instead, it made him refine his skills which have seen the 30-year-old midfielder score some memorable goals. Although he calls them “fluke goals”, the rest of us call them “Kekana specials”. His latest “special” came for Bafana Bafana against Cameroon in Limbe.
“I once scored from a similar position when I was still in primary school,” Kekana, pictured, said. “I was with the Under-12s. They suspected that I was an age cheat because I scored from a very difficult angle that a player in the Under-12 shouldn’t score from. It didn’t help me that I have always been a big boy. But I have always managed to thrive in difficult conditions. I was never scared and never doubted my abilities. That experience taught me to be stronger and fight for what I want.”
And Kekana wants to be an African champion with Mamelodi Sundowns, who must be grateful his childhood experience didn’t dampen his spirits of scoring more long-range goals from awkward angles.
It’s because of a “Kekana special” that Sundowns killed off their tie against AC Leopards in Congo-Brazzaville. He received the ball after just a few steps into Leopards’ half and he did what felt natural – firing a thunderbolt that crushed the hosts’ hopes of advancing to the second round.
But Sundowns remain focused on AS Vita, as they leave today for Kinshasa, for their Caf Champions League second round first-leg clash on Sunday. A victory there would put Pitso Mosimane’s side in the group stage for the first time since 2001.
It would be fitting if a Kekana bullet helps send Sundowns to the promised land like his idol, Philemon Masinga, did when he scored that magical goal against Congo that took Bafana to the 1998 World Cup.
“You know in the villages back then you would find that the only place that has a television set is one of the supermarkets,” Kekana said.
“We were coming from a football match the day of that game. We watched that game in one of the taverns close to our home. When I am with my childhood friends, seeing that goal reminds us how much we loved football. There were times where we didn’t even have a ball, but we would go to a football field just to imitate how the movements are done. I am happy that I am here today because it’s through the effort that I put in when I was young.” - The Star