Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Themba Zwane has credited former Bafana Bafana coach Clive Barker for unlocking his potential during his loan spell at Mpumalanga Black Aces.
On Thursday night at Dasslers, outside the Puma store in Braamfontein, Zwane was celebrated by the Puma brand for being at the stable for 10 years.
The event was attended by Zwane’s family and friends, members of the Sundowns team, his agent Jazzman Mahlakgane and former players such as Teko Modise, Doc Khumalo and the great Jomo Sono, who has been with Puma for four decades.
Zwane is grateful for his relationship with Puma as it has evolved from a boots deal to one with commercial benefits. While under Puma, Zwane has won six league titles, four domestic competitions, the CAF Champions League and Super Cup and multiple individual accolades.
“It shows that our relationship has been natural, it has not been forced because we have been together for 10 years,” Zwane said about his time with Puma when speaking to the media.
“What I like about them is the level of respect they treat their athletes [with], discipline and the way they communicate with the guys is on another level. I appreciate them and thank them for signing me out of nowhere,” he said.
The 33-year-old received his flowers from the heartwarming speeches from the people who have followed his career closely. However, the first flowers he got in football were from the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations winning coach Barker.
Barker coached Zwane at Black Aces in 2013; he compared him to his midfield maestro at Bafana, Khumalo. That endorsement unlocked Zwane’s potential and he has never looked back.
“He's someone who believed in me,” said Zwane.
“He told me things that I didn’t know, he was always saying at training ‘you remind me of Doctor Khumalo’ and I would say ‘Doc, come on coach, Doc is a legend and he would say ‘serious, you remind me of Doc. If you can believe in yourself and play the way you train, you can give us something and you can go far.’
“My confidence was low but because we were always talking at training, he would always call me ‘Doctor Khumalo’ when I dribble players and then I started to have confidence and that I have this thing, I just needed to have confidence in myself,” he said.
Zwane will be in action tomorrow for Sundowns in the Black Label Cup when they take on AmaZulu at the FNB Stadium (9.30pm). He’s set to wear special boots to celebrate a decade at Puma.
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