Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Thando Mngomeni has opened up about two defining
decisions of his career.
How did he leave Santos for Kabo Yellow and how did not move to Wits University come to life?
THANDO MNGOMENI ON MAMELODI SUNDOWNS MOVE
His career started at Santos before moving to SuperSport United, followed by a stint with Helsingborgs IF in Sweden. After returning to Santos, Sundowns came calling in 2008.
As a young kid in Cape Town, Mngomeni watched Samuel “Ewiee” Kambule score a spectacular goal for Sundowns against Cape Town Spurs, a strike that turned him from a ball boy into a lifelong Sundowns fan. “Oh my goodness, that’s the day I turned into a Sundowns fan,” Mngomeni said on the Omni Audio African Podcast. “I think I celebrated with the team in the corner. I was a Spurs ball boy, but yeah, always at the game.”
BAFANA BAFANA WORLD CUP DREAM
After finally joining Sundowns, playing time sadly became limited, and with the World Cup
looming, he had to make a decision. Roger de Sá, his former coach at Santos, called hin after
taking the Wits job. “I had to weigh my options and leave,” Mngomeni said. “Loyalty in football
shouldn’t come first, especially with the World Cup coming.”
“The transition was all about the influx of players,” he continued. “I thought they were adding
three or four, but when I arrived, it was nearly 18 or 19 new players. Immediately, I felt, okay,
this is a challenge. I wasn’t worried. One of the reasons I joined was because of my favourite
player, Ewiee Kambole. That goal he scored against Spurs as a kid, that’s what made me a
Sundowns fan,” Mngomeni added.