Bafana Bafana golden generation member Linda “Mercedes-Benz” Buthelezi has made a startling admission about Sphephelo “Yaya” Sithole, one of the stars of the national team’s dramatic run to the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals.
Sithole, who plays club football for CD Tondela in Portugal’s second tier, has been an exciting revelation in Bafana’s pursuit first Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) success since Buthelezi and co lifted the trophy on home soil in 1996.
Bafana — are in their first semifinal in 24 years, since 2000 — will face Nigeria at Stade Bouaké in Bouaké, Ivory Coast on Wednesday (7pm SA time).
“Yaya”, as 24-year-old Sithole is nicknamed, has struck a perfect combination as the physical bull in midfield who does the hard graft next to the more attacking Teboho Mokoena of Mamelodi Sundowns in the middle of the park.
The pairing has excited football enthusiasts and drawn comparison to Bafana’s most revered combination of Buthelezi and Eric Tinkler that helped to deliver Bafana’s only Afcon title.
In the comparison, Sithole, born in Ulundi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, might be likened to the hard-tackling Tinkler as Buthelezi had the slightly more advanced role in 1996 than now-Cape Town City coach Tinkler. Unlike the 2024 version, both Tinkler and Buthelezi were bone-crunchers, providing the platform for attacking midfielders Doctor Khumalo and the late John “Shoes” Moshoeu to create havoc. At this Nations Cup Sithole is the cruncher, and while Mokeona can put in the challenges and has an excellent work-rate, he has a far larger array of skills than Tinkler or Buthelezi did, and his forays forward are a crucial element of coach Hugo Broos’s team.
Many have identified those qualities as making Mokoena the most important Bafana player in Ivory Cast. Buthelezi believes Sithole’s role — doing the dirty work and creating space for others, including Mokoena, to shine — has been just as crucial. The KZN Football Academy product goes about his job quietly, so he does not always receive as much attention.
Sithole has been able to hold his own against highly-rated Moroccans and Tunisians playing in some of the best leagues in the world.
In an interview with TimesLIVE Premium, Buthelezi singled out Sithole as the unsung hero in Broos’s team.
“I’m not taking anything away from Mokoena, I believe he is a great player who always gives his best on the field, but I’ve watched Sithole and the way he plays football, and for me, that boy has everything,” Buthelezi said.
“I’ve been surprised with how he has been able to link with players such as [centreback Mothobi] Mvala at the back and other defenders.
“This boy is a genius when it comes to protecting the defence, and with him on the pitch, I believe it allows Mokoena to push upfront more in search of goals because he [Mokoena] knows that the midfield is well covered with Sithole there.
“Since we’ve been playing in the tournament, we are very strong in the midfield because there’s a lion there.
“Sithole is very powerful in that team, and I think if we lose him [to injury or suspension] there will be problems for us because it will mean Mokoena must come back and stay in the centre and not be involved in those dangerous attacks.
Playing in Portugal made me not scared of anyone. It has taken me to a place where if I see Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I’m not going to respect them on the pitch.
— Sphephelo Sithole
“As a central midfielder you need to be able to make sure the opposition’s attackers don’t get to your defenders easily, and that’s what Sithole has been doing for Bafana at this Afcon.”
Buthelezi went as far as saying Bafana’s Portuguese-based emerging midfield battler is a better player than the former Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns star was.
“I still say this is one of the most powerful central midfielders I’ve ever seen in this country. I’ve seen guys like Bennet Mnguni and this boy Sithole is there with the best,” “Mercedes-Benz” said.
“And I want to say that this boy is better than me. I think you would rather compare him to John Moeti and Innocent Mncwango.
“This is my honest opinion — this boy is one of the best central midfielders I’ve ever seen in this country.”
Sithole was discovered by the Durban-based KZN Football Academy at the age of 13 in 2014 after a scouting drive led by Paulo Cardoso, who discovered a 12-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. Cardoso, now Sundowns’ head of academy, coached Sithole in the KwaZulu-Natal footballing school for its first two years of existence before returning to head Sporting Lisbon’s youth academy.
Sithole moved to Portugal in 2017 to join Sporting’s under-19s and a year later he found himself at Vitória FC U-23, Belenenses and Tondela since July.
In an interview with TimesLIVE Premium in 2022, the midfielder spoke about how moving to Portugal helped him develop as a player.
“Playing in Portugal made me not scared of anyone. It has taken me to a place where if I see Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I’m not going to respect them on the pitch,” he said.
“We both have two legs, we are equal. Not that I think I’m big or something, but you mustn’t be scared of anyone. If you give them that bit of respect you’ve lost it as a player.”
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