Bafana Bafana forward Mihlali Mayambela has opened up on comparisons with his older brother Mark and how "living under his shadow" influenced his career decisions.
Mihlali's talent initially went unnoticed in South Africa as he had not played in the Premiership and only made it up to the Motsepe Foundation Championship, where he played for All Stars for two years from 2014.
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Mihlali left Djurgarden in June 2019 and after that he had spells in Portuguese clubs and a loan stint in Israel before eventually settling at Cypriot club Aris Limassol.
The young Mayambela says living under his older brother Mark's "shadow" influenced his decision to go to Europe early, because at some point in South Africa, he lost the hunger for the game due to those comparing the brothers.
"That's why I left South Africa (haha), but seriously for me at an early stage it was really a problem because I was in the shadow of someone and being compared with someone is also not nice," Mihlali Mayambela said in a Bafana press conference.
"To me also at some point I lost the hunger because I was being compared but also I was a little bit young. But when I realized that I also have the ability to do something for myself, I was looking to move into this space, into another space, where nobody knows me, nobody knows about my family.
"So I can also make something for myself. I think so far I've been trying my best to live my own journey, to build my own stuff, to play my own way and not to try and copy, of course I take some good things and learn," he said.
READ: Two Years For Smith In RussiaThe comparisons between the two brothers have been going on, especially on social media despite Mark having retired. However Mihlali does have something interesting to say about these comparisons.
"He's better, he had better talent than me, that's for sure but maybe I had other strengths also he didn't have. But without him there wouldn't be a Mihlali," the Bafana attacker told journalists.
Did Mark fulfill his potential?
"No, no chance, not even 50 percent. He knows it, I tell him all the time. For some reason he didn't, maybe he will fulfill his potential as a coach, I don't know, let's see," he added.
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