Mpumalanga soccer star shines bright in Europe

Mpumalanga-born soccer legend, 29-year-old Letago Madiba from Arthurseat Village in Bushbuckridge, has put the province on the world map.
She has been playing professional football in Europe since 2019.
She plays for FC Minsk in Belarus and ALG Spor in Turkey.
“I thank God for my talent as this has provided so many opportunities for me to succeed in life,” she said.

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Madiba’s love of soccer started way back on the dusty grounds of her home village, where she used to chase after the ball with boys her own age.
She had been a player for professional women’s soccer teams in the province including Tekamahala Ladies Football Club and Flamingo Ladies Football Club, one of the Sasol League teams in Mbombela.
“That was where I started to be noticed by provincial and national structures. In 2011 the breakthrough came when I was scouted to Gauteng where my football career flourished due to female athletes having more exposure in the province, compared to Mpumalanga. My biggest breakthrough came in 2018/19 when I toured Europe. I received an offer for my first professional team in Europe in 2019,” she explained.

Madiba has suffered injuries in her sporting career. She had a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a torn medical collateral ligament and a torn meniscus in 2014 while on camp with Banyana Banyana.
“I had to undergo two surgeries and was out of action for 14 months. This was the toughest period in my career. I was blessed with supportive physios, family and friends, who all helped me never give up and kept pushing me to become stronger than before. This period taught me a lot about myself and my desires. I would say I became a better player thereafter,” she said.

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She was awarded a trophy for being the best player in the 2019 Belarusian Women’s League Cup and the Turkish Kadin 1 League Championship, in which she scored 12 goals.
She was named Turkish League Player of the Week three times and was in the Turkish Team of the Week six times.
Madiba looks forward to playing in the 2020/21 UEFA Women’s Champions League starting in October.
In South Africa, Madiba was a defender and striker for Banyana Banyana.
The outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic had also affected her career.
“Our league season was cut short. We were not able to train as a team or out in the field, which affected our match fitness. But we overcame the circumstances and incorporated new training methods that kept us fit. We are able to train and compete again.”
Madiba holds a BTech in sport and exercise science from Tshwane University of Technology. She is currently completing a master’s degree in organisational leadership.
She urged every child to believe in their dreams and never allow any person to tell them otherwise. “Everything is possible if you work hard towards your goals and are willing to make sacrifices to achieve them.”