As if to stir up the hornet's nest, Jomo Sono was at it again in recent times, calling for Themba Zwane to be handed the number 10 jersey at Mamelodi Sundowns. But who can argue against the Black Prince of South African football on that suggestion, considering the massive contribution the Tembisa-born attacker has made since coming back from a loan stint at Mpumalanga Black Aces and establishing himself as a regular at the club? After all, if Downs were a choir, "Mshishi" would definitely be the conductor. His intelligence with and without the ball, skill, vision, guile, goalscoring touch, and much more, would turn some of the best jersey number 10s in the world, past and present, green with envy. However, there's also a case to be made for the current holder of that jersey number at the Tshwane giants, Gaston Sirino, himself a huge fan-favourite who on his day can tear any defence apart. In the last instalment of this series of articles, Soccer Laduma's Lunga Adam gathers responses from the Yellow Nation on the contentious matter…
'The General' chimes in on the discussion
Certainly one of the greatest players to have worn the Mamelodi Sundowns shirt, Roger Feutmba was a midfielder par excellence. Such that for opposition players, it required a massive effort to dispossess him of the ball, even as he appeared lax in possession. That he was in the Cameroon squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup says it all. Seeing the 54-year-old also wore jersey number 10 at one stage at the Brazilians, we asked him for his thoughts on the issue.
"What I can say about Zwane is that he's one of the players who have contributed massively to Sundowns up to this day. He's a quality player, there's no doubt about that, and what is really important about a player playing in that position is how you handle each and every ball you have. Like I always say, good midfielders are those who read the game very well, are those who can pass the ball very well, are those who minimise the number of balls they lose. So, you need to make sure that you don't lose the ball, and Zwane is one of those players. It's just that he has not retired yet, ha, ha, ha, but I can say he's one of the great number 10s Sundowns have had. As for the issue about the jersey number, I don't believe we have to have a debate about it. Zwane is comfortable with the number he's wearing and he's doing a fantastic job for Sundowns and for the country. When I say 'the country', I'm referring to the style, having grown up here. For me, a number doesn't mean a lot. Ja, number 10, we can't run away from it, is a great number. I wore it myself when I was at Sundowns. There are many good number 10s who have come in, like Teko Modise and others. Ja, he deserves it, if you want to put it that way, but he chose to wear something else and it doesn't take away from the quality of the player he is. You don't rate a player by the number he's wearing, you rate a player by his contribution to football, to the team and all that, and Zwane has contributed massively to Sundowns and South African football."
What fans on 'the socials' say…
We asked fans on Soccer Laduma's social media platforms what they thought of Jomo Sono's plea for 'Mshishi' to be given jersey number 10 at the Chloorkop-based side. Below are some of the responses received…
With my humble opinion, I concur with him. Zwane is a phenomenal player. After all, the number 10 jersey in football is giving recognition to the wizard on the field. The likes of Maradona and Pele have set the precedence for it. In Mzansi, we had Jomo Sono, Shoes Moshoeu and Teko Modise. @Gabojust (Twitter)
No, I don't agree with Mr Sono. Sirino must remain in his jersey and it is suitable for him. @NyambeniMutahe3 (Twitter)
Mshishi is making jersey #18 fashionable. He doesn't need #10 for anything. @Kotulang_Farms (Twitter)
I think Dr Sono should be giving someone from Pirates the number 10 first. Mandisi Tenene (Facebook)
Says a man who kept his number 10 for life. We love GS10 as is, no need for a stir. Magase Mmola (Facebook)
It's too late for Zwane, they must give it to Mailula. Kgotso Montsho (Facebook)
Mailula can make a memorable number 10 of all-time at Downs. He is still young, with leadership skills potential. Joel Ntabane (Facebook)
Yes... but it's too late. Wisani Mathebula (Facebook)
Mailula is the right one to wear it, given his age. Meshack Mapitsing- Masemola (Facebook)
Who is Sirino? Give Themba that number 10. Jayvee Marawu (Facebook)
Sirino is way better than Zwane. Senzo Ongaphulan Inhliziyo Memela (Facebook)
Zwane v Sirino – check out Feutmba's ratings!
Furthermore, we asked Feutmba, who was part of that famous Downs side that won the that famous Downs side that won the league title three seasons in a row under the late Ted Dumitru, to rate the two attacking midfielders on different relevant categories, and it's easy to see who gets more of a thumbs up from him!
Passing
"It's rare to see Zwane misplace a pass and all that, so that makes him a quality and good midfielder. The same with Sirino because he's the type of player who doesn't lose the ball easily, who is a good player."
VERDICT: Zwane 9/10, Sirino 9/10
Dribbling
"I don't rate both of them as players who have a high quality of dribbling skills. No! They are skilful in playing one-touch football and reading the game well. Like I always say, to be a great midfielder, you need to be aware of what happens around you, and it's about one touch, moving forward, one touch, moving to the space, and that's what Zwane is doing. At Sundowns today, you don't really see a player who has those dribbling skills because they play as a team, they play into the space. So, it's one-touch, two-touch football. Most of the players who take players on are those who play as wingers, and the midfielders don't need to do that. Ja, you can take a player on one-against-one and move forward and all that."
VERDICT: Zwane 9/10, Sirino 8/10
Set-piece situations
"They are both very good when it comes to this department. Sirino likes taking free kicks and he can bend it nicely, so maybe he has the edge over Zwane on this one, a little bit."
VERDICT: Zwane 8/10, Sirino 9/10
Combination play
"They combine very well with their teammates. Look, it's about the intensity, it's about the philosophy of Sundowns. What makes Sundowns a great team today is they believe they have the intensity, they know who they are and they make that philosophy, every day, to be perfect. That's why today you see Sundowns dominating, because when they go into a game, they know exactly what to do, how they want to play, and they play the way they want to play. They believe that way of playing will win trophies for them, and that has been working for them. They master that very well. So, it's not just about the combination play, it's about the whole system, it's about how Sundowns play as a team. With the quality that they have, the two players fit into that philosophy very well and the advantage the Sundowns midfielders have is that they are intelligent, they read the game very well, they are aware of what is going on around them."
VERDICT: Zwane 9/10, Sirino 8/10
Reading the game
"As I've alluded to, when you play in that position, it's very important to be able to read what is going on, to be able to dictate the tempo, and Zwane is doing that very well. He doesn't lose the ball, he creates goalscoring opportunities and sometimes scores himself. That makes him one of the greatest midfielders Sundowns have ever had. He's part of us, ha, ha, ha. He's part of us! Same with Sirino. He reads the game very well too, he's aware of what's going on around him, he doesn't lose the ball easily and all that. But Zwane has been more consistent than him because he's played more often."
VERDICT: Zwane 10/10, Sirino 8/10
Match-winning ability
"Like I say, Zwane has that advantage of being consistent and doing very well. Even when he's not creating goals, he scores himself."
VERDICT: Zwane 9/10, Sirino 8/10
Big Match Temperament
"In all those big matches, they have stood up very well, especially Zwane. He has stood up very well by being who he is, by being that leader on the pitch, with the way he controls the game, with the way he controls the rest of the team because you need that. You need someone, especially a playmaker like him, who's capable of dictating the tempo, who's capable of controlling the energy of the rest of the team, and for now Zwane is doing that very well. Zwane is a little bit ahead of Sirino in terms of what he's producing because he's consistent and he's playing regularly."
VERDICT: Zwane 9/10, Sirino 8/10
Making the team play
"Zwane does that very well. Like I'm saying, he's controlling the energy. He knows exactly when to move, when to pressurise, when to move fast, when to cool it down, communicating with the teammates and all that. Even though I believe Zwane is giving a little bit more, Sirino also does well when he comes in, so they are not too different. Both of them are good players."
VERDICT: Zwane 9/10, Sirino 8/10
Impact from the bench
"Both of them have that quality, they have that ability to come in and take control of things and make sure that something happens. That's what Zwane has been doing, and even Sirino, when he comes in sometimes, you will see there is a little bit of a difference, (with him) controlling what is going on, trying to make the team play around him."
VERDICT: Zwane 9/10, Sirino 9/10
It's good for barbershop conversation
Thando Mngomeni – Former Sundowns midfielder
"I think from Jomo's point of view, I would understand, seeing that "Mshishi" has been in fine form for a consistent amount of time at Sundowns. So, I understand his point and why he wants him to be given the jersey, but that's a conversation kaloku that must be had internally with club management. When Zwane arrived, he wore jersey number 18 and he's forever had the same number. You don't always get what you want. Secondly, I don't consider number 10 a special effects kind of number, if you understand what I'm saying. If you are given, you are given. As for me, I don't think I would give you the best answer regarding number 10 because to me, it's just a f****ng number. Whether I'm number 3, I do not really care. It does not signify anything. The only person that signified, that made the number iconic was a 17-year-old Brazilian by the name of Pele. May his soul rest in peace. From then on, number 10 has been associated with many different aspects of football – creativity and the rest. All the good things that we love about football. So, I don't really consider it as a special number, with my background in other sports. I can argue and say at one point, Neil Tovey wore number 9 at Chiefs playing at the back. Who was supposed to wear number 9? The guys at the opposite end at Chiefs at that time. It's just a number, but people just glorify it and it's good for, I guess, barbershop conversation really. We'll forever debate about it, but it's not really something that's relative, that should really be considered as important besides winning trophies and leagues."
