From his time at Maritzburg United, where he made his professional debut and helped the team reach the 2018 Nedbank Cup final, to Orlando Pirates, where he reached the CAF Confederation Cup final and won the MTN8 trophy, Siphesihle Ndlovu has always been a hardworking player who gives his all. That he was named the PSL's Young Player of the Season for the 2017/18 campaign was no fluke. However, he seemed to hit a speed hump during his time at the Buccaneers, making many wonder whether he was going to add to the long list of one-hit wonders that have come and gone in South African football. Now at SuperSport United, the 27-year-old is approaching the peak of his career. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Zola Doda, the modest footballer opens up about some of his personal accolades he's proud of, his real reason for leaving the Soweto giants, and what lies ahead.
Zola Doda: Siphe, how are things going for you at SuperSport United this season?
Siphesihle Ndlovu: This season so far is going ok… I wouldn't really say 'well', but it's going okay, for me personally. But for us as a club, it is going the way we want it to go. We are trying by all means to go as high as we can (on the log table) and close the gap as much as we can. At this stage of the season, I would have loved to have scored one or two goals and made sure that we haven't lost at home because it's something that has happened and last season it didn't happen. All those things, I take them into consideration individually and I feel that by now after four or five games, I should be having one or two goals that I have scored. Those are things that I need to work on going forward. I've also just encountered an injury, that alone is taking me back a bit. That's why I'm saying things are going ok but not the way I want them to go.
ZD: But injury aside, you seem to have settled well since joining from Orlando Pirates last year. What do you attribute that to?
SN: When I'm playing, I give my all. Whether it's my day or not or the club's day or not, I give my all. That is what it's about. I do everything on the pitch and that is what people recognise and coach Gavin Hunt appreciates. Regardless of what problems I have off the field, when I'm playing, football becomes a therapy for me. Football takes everything away and makes me happy. When I'm on the field, I become happy. To make an example, something happened in my family, but I had to put it aside and keep going. When I got (the) Man of the Match award against Cape Town City, I had problems that were going on outside – I had to put them aside and perform. That is about an ability to balance football with my life.
ZD: What is it like working with Gavin Hunt?
SN: I think people can interpret things their own way, but for me, working with him is great. He is a coach who knows what he wants, he is a coach who demands hard work and effort every time. And if you follow what he wants, I don't think you will be on his bad side or wrong side. If you deliver results, you will be ok. He is also a funny coach, he is full of jokes, full of laughter. He likes to play around. But when it's time to work, you have to work and get serious. He is a funny coach who also teaches us more about life and having the winning mentality. He is a winner.
ZD: What does he expect from you?
SN: With the team that we have at the moment, the main role that he has given me – I try to make sure that I break up play, protect the centre-backs and the middle of the park because he feels that I'm very good at doing that, reading the game. I'm also very good at regaining possession. That is the main thing that he expects me to do. He also gives me freedom to go forward.
ZD: Why leave Pirates though?
SN: The honest reason is that, when you look at Siphesihle Ndlovu, he has always been there (in the team), and when you find him not playing, it's concerning. Then I said to myself, "Maybe I need to reestablish myself and revive my career elsewhere instead of not playing as much as I would love to." I had two years left and I said, "Let me revive my career and see where it takes me", and fortunately SuperSport United came on board.
ZD: When you spoke to coach Jose Riveiro, and explained to him that you needed to go elsewhere, what was that conversation like?
SN: The conversation was simple, and I had to be honest. I asked them nicely and said, "Can I go somewhere else where I can play more often or have an opportunity to play because having to go 10 games without (playing) a game, I think, is not a good thing for Siphesihle Ndlovu." It was that simple.
ZD: Right now, you are in your mid-20s and approaching the peak of your career. Are you happy with what you've achieved?
SN: I'm happy with what I've achieved in football because I think I've made something for myself and looking back at all the individual awards I've won, I'm very happy with what I have achieved, but it's not the end. I still want to compete and contend for every category that is there. It has never happened that a player contends for every category at the end-of-season awards and that is something that I want to do. Although I didn't win it, I was proud to be nominated for the Footballer of the Season. I'm very proud of myself. Looking at my age and having to compete with Percy Tau and Hlompho Kekana at the time, I was so proud of myself and happy for the work I've done because I was competing with good players, playing for a good club. Coming from a small club (Maritzburg United) and having to compete with them at that age, it was absolutely amazing. The biggest achievement with a club was winning the MTN8 in my second season with Pirates. The club was going through a drought of not being able to win a trophy for a very long time. That was the highest achievement and when I look back, I say I'm proud to be part of that history.
ZD: What is this Matsatsantsa side capable of achieving?
SN: When you look at the history of the club, it has been winning trophies, so it's very important that we don't drop the standard. We have to keep the standard high. We are a team that won't make things easy for other clubs. The team takes care of players and makes sure that everyone is happy and on the same page. When you have happy players in your structure, everything will fall into place.
ZD: Tell us about new signings like Siyanda Xulu…
SN: I've played with him before and he is a leader. A player like him will add more quality alongside Thulani Hlatshwayo and Onismor Bhasera because we have some youngsters coming through who need some guidance and leadership also. Siyanda, "Tyson" and Bhasera are there to help the guys to make sure they reach their potential. Siyanda is also vocal, he brings that vocalness into the team. Strikers that we have, like Terrence Dzvukamanja, Etiosa Ighodaro and Bradley Grobler, are all goal poachers who are capable of scoring goals. We have three strikers who can score at any given time during the game and that is very good for us. Right now, Terrence and Etiosa have two goals and Bradley is there giving assists as well. We are very strong up front.
ZD: A lot of people speak highly of Ime Okon, who's been selected to the Bafana Bafana preliminary squad for the upcoming friendlies against Eswatini and Ivory Coast.
SN: He is a very humble boy who is willing to sweat blood any day and any given time. He is a very good player with a very good personality. He is willing to learn and listen, and I think he will go far in his career. He doesn't talk a lot, he does the work on the field.
ZD: At the end of last season, Maritzburg, the club that gave you your debut, got relegated. Must have hurt?
SN: Maritzburg United will forever be in my blood because that is the club that made me. That is the club that gave me a breakthrough and a lot of things happened when I was still at the club. So, when I saw things going the way they were going, it was really painful because I know all about it as someone who has suffered being in the relegation zone and surviving on the last day of the season. It was really paining. It was also paining for Fadlu Davids because of the person he is. Until today, it's still paining, but hopefully they will bounce back. That club, in Maritzburg, was really big. The Friday night games were some of the best things that we had at Harry Gwala Stadium. I remember there were back-to-back games we played against Mamelodi Sundowns (2017/18 season). We played them in the semifinal of the Nedbank Cup and beat them 3-1 and played them in midweek and drew 2-2. Until today, those games still play in our heads because we had a crowd that was supporting us and they had a crowd that was supporting them as well. It was an open game, it was a nice atmosphere. That's how nice it was to play in that atmosphere.
ZD: What does the future hold for you? Do you see yourself playing overseas?
SN: If an opportunity presents itself, then I will grab it with both hands because that is an environment where everyone wants to go. But now I need to make sure that I work hard at the club I work for and make sure that I give 100 percent in every game that I play because you will never know who is watching. That is the mentality that I have at the moment, to focus on my game.
ZD: You guys are also competing in the CAF Confederation Cup this season. What do you expect from the competition?
SN: Obviously, I've played in the CAF Confederation Cup before where we lost in the final (to RS Berkane). I want to compete in the final again and even go as far as getting silverware because continental football raises your value and profile. We are looking forward to the rest of the competition.
ZD: The Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire is around the corner. Have you set yourself any goal to get into the Bafana Bafana squad?
SN: All those things will fall into place if I focus on my daily performances at club level. If I start focusing on that, there will be a lot of mistakes because my focus will be gone and I will do a lot of things wrong. I just want to focus on my game at club level and the rest will fall into place.
SIPHESIHLE NDLOVU FACT FILE
Date of birth: 30 September 1996
Place of birth: Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
Nickname: Mbesuma
Position: Midfielder
Jersey number: 15
Club: SuperSport United
Previous clubs: Umgungundlovu Academy of Sport, Maritzburg United juniors, Maritzburg United, Orlando Pirates
Honours: 2017/18 PSL Young Player of the Season, 2017/18 PSL Midfielder of the Season, 2020 MTN8 winner (with Pirates), 5 Bafana Bafana caps
