The best goal is yet to come – Kekana
Very few players in the whole of the Premier Soccer League can claim to have the ability to take long-range shots and fly them into the back of the net quite like Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana.
Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana celebrates a goal with Phakamani Mahlambi. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
His thunderous shots from way outside the box are countless and have become synonymous with Kekana’s name as every time he would knock in one, commentators would shout, ‘he’s done it again’.
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His most recent strike came in a league match against Cape Town City and perhaps some of the most memorable strikes include the 2018 goal that saw him take Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands to the cleaners.
Another one is the unforgettable 65 yards strike against Cameroon which earned him a nomination for the Puskas Award. However, the man himself insists that despite netting some marvellous goals, he is yet to score what would satisfy his criteria for a perfect goal.
“I don’t have my best goal yet … To single out one goal will be very unfair because I did not use the same technique. I have so many techniques that I have used, it depends on where the ball would be and it would depend on what kind of a ball and it will depend on what type of grass (we are playing on),” said Kekana in a live video on Instagram.
When asked by a fan for some advice on how to master the art of scoring goals from ‘a million’ kilometres away from the box, Kekana said it all lies in the connection with the ball.
“Make sure you practice, but first you have to try and find the connection with the ball. The best way is to use a wall in close range and try to work on the connection first before you use the power. Find the technique first, which is to try and find the connection … then go through to the field and practice,” he said.
While the long strikes are a major part of his game, he also plays the role of being a leader on the pitch and in about four years as the skipper of what has been the most successful club in Southern Africa, Kekana pin-points the 2016 Caf Champions League and subsequent Super Cup triumph and Club World Cup participation as his greatest achievements thus far.
“Lifting the Champions League trophy in Alexandria (Egypt), that trophy was important to the club and the players who were there. We got an opportunity to go play in the Fifa Club World Cup, which has never happened for a South African club before. We played in the Caf Super Cup and it was the highlight of my career to go and captain a team of Sundowns’ calibre in the Club World Cup where there was Real Madrid,” he said.
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