Passion and determination are the driving forces for 12-year-old Siyanda Sithole from Jeppestown, who plays for the Birmingham Football Club.
The pupil from Denver Primary School said he loves soccer and wants to be the best soccer player and hopes one day to play professionally.
Sithole proved himself at the Hi5diski tournament which took place in Rhodes Park in Kensington on 8 October when he was named man of the tournament. He said his aim was to play hard and help his team win the tournament. “I’m very proud to be man of the tournament.
“When I woke up today I told myself I will do my best to help my team win, and I’m glad we won. Being man of the tournament is a bonus and a motivation for me to push myself even more to improve on my performance.”
The youngster said he started playing soccer from the age of nine. “I always watch Kaizer Chiefs, and wanted to play as good as them. I told myself I will be as good as them one day and play professionally. I just need to practise and dedicate myself so that I can become a good player.”
He said his teammates are like family to him as they support each other and that makes them a strong team. Sithole looks up to the likes of William Twala from Kaizer Chiefs and Christiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. He said he hopes his dreams of playing professional soccer will come true.
The judges from the tournament said he was made man of the tournament because he showed dedication from the beginning of the match as he scored a goal for his team to qualify them for the semifinal and scored one of the goals in the final match.
Read: Sikelela Unlimited loses soccer challenge
