’50 is a piece of cake’, claims age-defying Nomvethe
If there is a footballer in the country who continues to be the pioneer in defying the aches and pains of aging, it has to be one Siyabonga Nomvethe.
Siyabonga Nomvethe (Photo by Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images)
“Bhele” as he has grown to be known in almost two-and-a-half decades of playing professional football, says at age 42, he feels as good as he did when he was 25 years old and he believes his feet are more than capable of carrying him through at least eight more seasons until he reaches half-a-century of existence.
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Nomvethe is currently plying his trade with GladAfrica Championship outfit Uthongathi FC, where he continues to entertain the crowd with his sharpness in front of goal.
“u50 ubala kimi [loosely translated to ‘50 is a piece of cake’]. I can play until that age because if you love the game like I do, you will make sure that you keep fit and maintain a good shape,” he told Phakaaathi just after stepping out of his umpteenth training session with the KwaZulu-Natal side.
“This thing is in my blood and I see some boys have a tendency of skipping training sessions – I don’t. I train Monday to Friday, I am always there and I work hard and do everything that they youngsters do,” said Nomvethe.
“Bhele”, if you recall, did hang up his well-travelled boots in 2018, seemingly drawing the curtain on a career that saw him play for Italian club Udinese and feature for three of Soweto’s biggest clubs, Moroka Swallows (now known as Swallows FC) Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. He says this time around if he comes with the decision of lacing his boots for the last time – it will indeed be the last.
“It is in the blood, and up until I feel like I am satisfied, I will say ‘thank you’ and I will not make a U-turn and want to play again. But for as long as my body allows me, I will continue to enjoy playing like all the other boys,” said the former Bafana Bafana star, who represented the country on over 80 occasions.
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