Sundowns star Themba Zwane on how Clive Barker instilled confidence in him
Image: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana star midfielder Themba Zwane has told how Clive Barker instilled confidence in him while on loan at Mpumalanga Black Aces in 2013.
When Zwane arrived at Chloorkop from amateur side Vardos in 2011, he found limited playing opportunities as he was low in the pecking order behind players such as Surprise Moriri, Teko Modise, Matty Pattison and Papi Zothwane.
He was sent to Aces where he worked with former Bafana coach Barker who believed in his talent and gave him an opportunity to show it.
“He [Barker] is someone I talk to; lately I lost contact because he was not well, but he is someone who believed in me,” said Zwane during an event where he celebrated 10 years of sponsorship with sportswear company Puma.
“He told me things I didn’t know about myself and at training he was always telling me I remind him of Doctor Khumalo. I always said no ways, because Doctor Khumalo is a legend of South African football.
“He told me to always train well and play my normal game to contribute something to the team and that’s what I did. My confidence was low but he was always talking to me and encouraging me to dribble past players. Because of that I started to have confidence in myself.”
Zwane said he was unsure of the loan move but he was assured by Modise and Moriri it was good for his career.
“Before I went on loan, I spoke to Surprise [Moriri] and Teko [Modise] and they told me going on loan doesn’t mean you are a bad player. It is an opportunity to get more game time so you can come back more experienced.
“That’s what I did, every game I used to speak to Surprise who was always giving me feedback on my games”
Zwane is part of the Bafana squad for the two friendly matches against Mozambique and Angola next week and says those matches are important.
“They are tough matches but we are looking forward to it. There are a few new players in the squad but we just to go out there, work for each other and understand each other and we will get the desired results.”
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