Having reunited with coach Eric Tinkler at Sekhukhune United, midfielder Lebogang Phiri has vowed to give back to him by performing well and helping the club win the Nedbank Cup, and finish in a respectable position in the league table.
Phiri signed a short-term six-month deal last month with Babina Noko, aiming to revive a career that saw him excel in Europe before coming back to SA.
The 31-year-old playmaker was developed through the now-defunct Bidvest Wits academy under head coach Roger de Sa and his assistant Tinkler when he was 12 years old.
Tinkler was also instrumental in securing him a move to Brøndby in Denmark as a teenager and now wants to return the favour by performing well for the club.
“I always tell him it’s a blessing because I started working with coach Eric at the age of 12 when he scouted me while I was playing for Shooting Stars, and he allowed me to be the person that I am today. “[And] through the connections that he had and, of course, the coaching he offered me at a young age,” Phiri told the media after the Nedbank Cup draw, where they were pitted against Milford in the quarterfinals on Monday.
“He prepared me for the big stage and I didn’t disappoint him. I feel like this is a way of giving back to him. He took me to Denmark and he was among the group of people that played a big role in me going there.
“Alongside coach Ashley Makhanya, coach De Sa at the time as well, and of course the people who were owning the club at that time.”
Phiri, who also played in France and Türkiye before returning to SA, revealed the lessons he learned in different leagues in different countries. “To summarise in one word would be hard; it needs a lot of perseverance, a lot of dedication, mental preparation...” he said.
“It was quite hard, but I’m grateful for that, and like I said, now I’m back home, and all focus is on what Lebogang Phiri and Sekhukhune United have to do.”
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