U19 Prof United captain aims to go pro this year

“I’M not just playing for fun or to waste time, I want to go pro and anybody who knows me knows that.”

This is word from the captain of Prof United FC, Khulekani Erasmus Msweli, who not only plays with his feet but his mind and heart too.

After having graced local fields over the years, he believes that his time has come to move on to playing professionally and will stop at nothing to make this possible.

The Wentworth resident said coming from a soccer fanatic family further fuels his passion for being on the field.

“I’ve always loved football. I used to watch my big brother play with his friends and I always wanted to play with them, but they would say I was too young.

“When my family moved to Wentworth my father, who is a big fan of Amazulu FC, took me to join my first team at Bayview FC and I’ve been playing ever since,” said the 20-year-old, who plays centre back and left-back.

Khulekani is currently the captain in the U19 division for the Montclair-based Prof United FC. He took up the position at the start of the season last year and has not looked back, making the most out of this milestone.

“Being at Prof FC has been a good experience because I’ve learnt a lot of things about my positions that I play from the legendary former South African football player, coach Prof Ngubane.

“I’m a different player than I was when I joined the team because of him. When I started out, I could only play left-back and he is the one who introduced me to playing centre back,” said the former Fairvale Secondary School learner.

Coupled with his current captaincy, his other big achievement includes his days at Bayview FC where received the coach’s player of the year award in the U13 division. He also won a few tournaments while at the club.

“One achievement that would have made me really happy was if we won the league last season, we were in a good position to, but it got cancelled because of Covid-19,” he said.

His father’s unwavering support is the reason he believes he can give football his all. Khulekani’s entire family rallies behind him through support and motivation.

He aims to remain level headed and focused as a means of reaching his dream of playing professionally in the country and eventually around the world.

He looks up to the likes of Marcelo Vieira of Real Madrid and Sergio Ramos of Paris Saint Germain.

“What motivates me is that I’ve always wanted to play football at a professional level and I know I can make it. My goal this year is to get a contract, whether it’s in a semi-pro or professional team,” he added.