Soccer star represents township overseas

Local soccer players have had the opportunity to represent their townships in international soccer competitions recently.

Lesego Maleka, also known on the field as Spanish Guitar, is one of those who has had the opportunity to showcase his soccer skills on a global platform.

With the support and encouragement of his brother, Sonnyboy Modiba, whom he used to play soccer with, the 22-year-old Lekaneng Section resident found his soccer aptitude when he was only six years old.

“Watching my brother play soccer gave me a great passion for the game. It also brought me joy seeing how the crowd admired him during soccer matches; those were great days,” Maleka reminisced.

ALSO READ: Staff come together for the environment

Being raised by a single mother who was a street vendor to put food on the table also served as inspiration for him to focus on his skills and establish realistic objectives he managed to attain.

“My mother, Rosemary Maleka, sells refreshments and cultural clothes. Although life was never easy for us, she always made sure we never went to bed hungry. For me, this served as great motivation to work even harder on my soccer career.”

One of the highlights of this young soccer star’s career was being offered a scholarship to attend Norkem Park High School in Kempton Park for three years.

Since then, more opportunities have opened for him to further his soccer skills, even globally.

“I was a learner at Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld High School before I was scouted by Norkem Park High. After receiving a scholarship, my life and career took a turn for the better and I matriculated from Norkem Park High in 2019.”

Maleka was exposed to numerous opportunities within the soccer industry as a result of the scholarship; however, this did not alleviate the obstacles he was about to confront as a township soccer player suddenly playing in the leagues.

“Playing for Highlands Park FC in 2018 was one of the most challenging periods of my soccer career. I was playing more games than I was used to. It wasn’t easy, but it helped me become a more focused player. The following season, I was chosen to play frequently and I successfully played almost all of the games I was assigned to.”

The years 2017 and 2018 have been the most thrilling of this young soccer player’s career.

Maleka was one of the Norkem High soccer players who travelled to Egypt and Barcelona in 2017 to represent the school in the Copa Jordi tournament, winning in penalty shootouts against Italy.

Norkem Park High also competed in the Costa Daurada tournament in Dubai and Spain in 2019 to defend their title from the previous year.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I travelled around the world, learned new languages and adapted to other cultures. We also had the opportunity to play on top-notch fields and tour well-known stadiums, including the famed Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona. Winning the Copa Jordi tournament was the icing on the cake.”

Maleka is now playing as a defender at Maholosiane FC, which is one of the teams playing for ABC Motsepe League in Gauteng.

“One of my dreams has always been playing in the ABC Motsepe League, which is the most competitive league in South Africa. This has been an incredible experience for me. I finished most of my games in under 90 minutes and I met my objectives.”

Also follow us on: