As Stellies prepared for another shot at cup glory, Basadien reflected on his tough journey that included stops at lower division teams Milano United, Ubuntu FC and Steenberg United before his professional breakthrough with Moroka Swallows.
“I have always wanted to be a professional footballer,” he said.
“I played football on the streets from a young age and I told my parents I want to become a professional footballer. With the guidance of my family, parents and wife now, it is paying off.
“Having said that, it was not a smooth-sailing career. There were lots of ups and downs, and mostly downs, before I joined Swallows two seasons ago. It is all about the hard work that you put in when you are down there in the lower divisions and trying to reach a higher point.
“It is all about the hard work because I was at Cape Town City, went back to the third division and then to the NFD. From there I went back to the third division and eventually made it to the PSL. That journey taught me a lot of things and the most important lesson is that it made me mentally strong.
‘I know Saleng and he knows me’: Stellies’ Basadien seeks more cup glory against Pirates
Highly rated defender reflects on rocky road from lower league football to two cup finals in 10 months
As he negotiated the difficult terrain of the lower divisions some years ago, in-demand Stellenbosch defender Fawaaz Basadien never thought he would feature in two major cup finals in less than 10 months.
Basadien, who was part of the Stellies team that beat TS Galaxy 5-4 on penalties in the Carling Knockout final in December, has another chance to walk to the podium to collect a winner’s medal.
For this to happen, Stellenbosch must upset the heavy odds and beat on-form Orlando Pirates when they meet in the sold-out MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday.
A testament to his progression since he joined Stellenbosch in 2022 is that Basadien was called up to the Bafana Bafana squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan by coach Hugo Broos last month.
As Stellies prepared for another shot at cup glory, Basadien reflected on his tough journey that included stops at lower division teams Milano United, Ubuntu FC and Steenberg United before his professional breakthrough with Moroka Swallows.
“I have always wanted to be a professional footballer,” he said.
“I played football on the streets from a young age and I told my parents I want to become a professional footballer. With the guidance of my family, parents and wife now, it is paying off.
“Having said that, it was not a smooth-sailing career. There were lots of ups and downs, and mostly downs, before I joined Swallows two seasons ago. It is all about the hard work that you put in when you are down there in the lower divisions and trying to reach a higher point.
“It is all about the hard work because I was at Cape Town City, went back to the third division and then to the NFD. From there I went back to the third division and eventually made it to the PSL. That journey taught me a lot of things and the most important lesson is that it made me mentally strong.
Left-back Basadien and his defence will be up against an attack that should include Monnapule Saleng, Patrick Maswanganyi, Relebohile Mofokeng and Tshegofatso Mabasa and he is ready for a torrid afternoon.
“I know Saleng and he knows me, we both have our strengths and weaknesses but the main thing on the day is going to be our mentality as individuals and as a team. It is about putting in a good shift for the team and as long as I do my job, the team will get the results.
“I am not too worried about the opposition, I am focusing on my own game and hopefully we can win the final. Pirates are a good team with good individuals, they are an all-round attacking team.
“The front four is dangerous with lots of combinations and link-up play. They understand each other a lot and from our side we just have to defend well, get them on the transition and also enjoy the ball too.”
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