Growing up in Pretoria as a young boy, Sifiso Ngobeni was inspired by his home team Mamelodi Sundowns, and he grew up dreaming of the days he would one day be amongst one of the boys from “Mams” that would make their dreams come true and wear the colours of The Brazilians.
The 24-year old fullback joined Masandawana in July from Bloemfontein Celtic and has been with the team preparing for the new season. According to Sifiso, playing for his hometown club is a cherry on top for his career: “Being a Mamelodi boy it’s an honour for me to play for a team like Sundowns, the team that I grew up supporting, a team that made me fall in love with football.”
“Ngobs”, as he is called by his peers, is hopeful that his move to Bafana Ba Style will inspire and encourage those who have dreams and aspirations to play amongst the best in the football industry: “[Mamelodi Sundowns] is a big team, it’s also a way of showing boys from Mamelodi that anything is possible in life if you are disciplined, focused and you believe in your dream, then you can achieve anything. This is a way of showing boys from Mamelodi to not give up on their dreams but [rather] to believe and follow their dreams.”
The talented defender began his professional career in the Free State honing his skills with Bloemfontein Celtic before enjoying the best season of his career last season with 21 league appearances in the DStv Premiership, before forming part of the successful Bafana Bafana squad that claimed the COSAFA Cup.
Speaking on how the team has helped him to settle in, Ngobeni said: “The players have really welcomed me with open arms and that on its own makes things easy. The coaches and players have really made me feel at home so that I can settle in quickly and be effective in the team.”
Mamelodi Sundowns will play their first opening match of the new season against Kaizer Chiefs in the MTN 8 Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, 14 August 2021. Kick-off is 15h00, live on SuperSport and SABC.
