Khuliso Mudau’s transformation from an attacking full-back with decent defensive skills into a fully-fledged, tough-tackling, almost impossible to pass right-back made him one of Bafana Bafana’s best players at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Bafana coach Hugo Broos, who steered the world 66th and African 12th-ranked side to a shock bronze medal, credits Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena and the world-class environment at the club for Mudau’s defensive progress.
Broos believes Teboho Mokoena’s exploits at Afcon firmly put him on the radar of European clubs, and at 27 he has a few years to give of his best at a club there. Ronwen Williams might be 32, but was so spectacular earning Best Goalkeeper he might also earn a big transfer.
Their Sundowns teammate Mudau’s performances, Broos said, would also have caught the attention of foreign clubs. Reports have been that Lyle Foster’s club Burnley, coached by Broos’s ex-player at Anderlecht, Vincent Kompany, are interested in the defender nicknamed “Sailor”.
At 28 Mudau is also on the elderly side for a move to Europe. However, his Afcon display of his trademark ability to rampage forward, now not leaving himself exposed in defence and at times making monstrous, beautifully-timed challenges to stop world-class forwards like Victor Osimhen, could see him still crack the nod.
Broos was asked about the tendency of South African players to feel comfortable in their home country and sometimes resist testing themselves against tough conditions and football in Europe.
“I hope those players who have an opportunity to go to Europe will go, because it will be good for them, and also for South African football, that they play in more intense competition,” the 71-year-old Belgian said.
“And I think those players who are named now, like Mokoena, Mudau and Ronwen, are ready to go. I think they have the qualities to go to Europe.
He continued, chuckling: “But yeah, I said Mudau, Ronwen and Teboho — I don’t think coach Rulani will be happy when I say that [as the Sundowns coach would not want to lose three big stars].
“But yeah, it’s like that. He has good players. And all the credit to him that he has made them so good. That’s his work. And I can use it.
“When I saw them playing in Afcon and that they were able to reach that level, I didn’t hesitate any more that they could make it. Put Ronwen in a European team and he will be a very good goalkeeper, Mudau a very good full-back, Mokoena a very good midfielder.”
Broos overlooked Mudau at the start of his tenure despite the right-back's form for Sundowns. The Bafana coach said the player signed from Black Leopards in 2020 was not exposed to being attacked at the Brazilians, and when he was, Broos felt he was suspect. After Mokwena became sole head coach at Downs in October 2022, Broos saw an improvement in Mudau’s defending.
“I always found Mudau to be a good back — though he was not a back, he was an offensive player. And every time he needed to defend he had a problem, so that’s why I never picked him before.
“And then suddenly since last year — and I think coach Rulani worked with him on that — he became a fullback. Now he wins challenges — it’s not easy to get past Mudau. And he’s always in a good position. Before he was always in front, which was also because Sundowns didn’t need it [Mudau sitting back] because they were too strong.
“But now he’s defending, and against the best strikers. In his game against Ivory Coast [Bafana’s 1-1 friendly draw in Abidjan in October], this guy [Wilfried Zaha] didn’t pass him once. So you can count on him as a defender, but also he still has the offensive part.”
With a Nations Cup bronze medal around his neck, Mudau sat at the team’s hotel in Abidjan last week, before their departure home, and recalled the humble days when it was all just a dream.
Mudau, who grew up in Musina, Limpopo, revealed that as a boy he was inspired by late Orlando Pirates striker Lesley “Slow Poison” Manyathela, one of the most prominent footballers to emerge from the old Venda.
“I used to watch Lesley a lot because we are from the same hometown in Musina and he inspired me so much. I vividly remember when he came back home, he drove a nice car, things were looking good for him, and I used to say to myself that one day I would be where he was.”
Mudau also paid tribute to the support he received from his mother, Margaret.
“I told my mom when I started playing football I was going to make her proud by turning professional. I left my mom when I was doing grade 3 to play football and she is one person who knows how difficult it was to get to where I am right now. To be honest, it was a tough journey with many ups and downs, and obviously I can’t talk about some of the things that happened along the way, but it was not easy at all.
“I had to be dedicated and keep on improving every day to reach this stage. I have a strong bond with my mother because she was there for me all the way.”
Mudau’s versatility, with skills and ability to run hard with the ball at his feet and ever-improving defensive skills, has been refined in his four years since moving from Leopards to Sundowns. “I changed positions a lot over the years. When you play football the township, you are a defender when the team is winning and when goals were needed, I played as a striker or a winger, and that helped me to be versatile.
“As a player you must always improve and at Sundowns there are a lot of corrections. There are a lot of meetings where you go through the footage of your games, if the technical team are not happy, they will tell you where to improve.”
They are the skills he showcased at the Nations Cup. It would really be a dream fulfilled if those performances result in a late overseas move for the fullback.
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