Themba Zwane has revealed how three of his former Mamelodi Sundowns teammates played a big role in inspiring his comeback.
Zwane spent a big part of the season recovering from an Achillies injury he picked up while on national team duty and, since his return, has faced the challenge of not being able to get into the starting line-up.
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Watching so many of Sundowns' matches from the sidelines is something the man popularly known as 'Mshishi' is not used to. This is a man who was used to being the most inspirational figure in the team's success, but he was forced to watch from the sidelines, making it back in time to play a bit part role in another title winning campaign.
It was three former Sundowns players who played a big role in supporting him through his recovery.
"It was a difficult situation for me. But with the support of my family, my team, technical staff, I managed to stay focused and I tried to do what I was supposed to do," Zwane told media after the 2-0 victory over Magesi FC at Loftus Stadium on Sunday evening.
"There are certain players, Vila (Sibusiso Vilakazi), Teko (Modise), Hlompho (Kekana) who always gave support, especially Vila. He was facing the same situation, so he was always trying to guide me. I feel like I did well. I managed to come back. I stayed positive."
Being out with an injury under a new coach did not stress Zwane much, especially because he and Miguel Cardoso had a chat about his role in the team.
"I always stay positive. When the coach arrived, I just tried to understand what he wants from me. We had a chat when he arrived and he said, 'We will wait for you to come back and decide where you are comfortable to play.' For me, it was more than enough to understand what he wants. My job was to come back stronger and try to fight for the position."
Sundowns may not have the smoothest of starts to the season, but they showed why they are the undisputed kings of South African football by making it eight titles in a row and, of course, they did it in classic Masandawana style, with records being broken along the way.
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"This one is different. When we started, people doubted us. We started slow, but we managed to keep up with the pace. We tried to improve ourselves and I think we've been doing well. We pushed ourselves as a team and we won the trophy," the Bafana Bafana international said.
"It feels great. As Sundowns, we are not tired of winning. We just want to keep on going. Overall, we are happy as a team."
