Young Player of the Season lives his dream at Baroka
Mosele hoists his hometown's flag high in PSL
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/Gallo Images/BackpagePix
Being the only professional footballer from the small township of Khuma in Stilfontein, North West, has turned reigning Premier Soccer League (PSL) Young Player of the Season Goodman Mosele of Baroka a beacon of hope for his community.
Mosele joined Baroka aged just 16 after excelling in trials in 2016. The gifted central midfielder was promoted to the senior team the following year. Mosele’s meteoric rise has since elevated him to his community's paradigm of aspiration.
“In my kasi [township] I am the only one who plays football professionally. A lot of people draw motivation from my life, seeing that anything is possible in life. Everyone in my community is happy to see me at Baroka,’’ an ebullient Mosele told Sowetan.
In all fairness, he's not supposed to be the lone ranger for top level football in Khuma; this is the home town of one of the biggest names in international football in SA, the late Phil Masinga. "Chipa" was buried there in January 2019.
Mosele's potential was recognised by his former amateur team's owner who later brought him to Baroka.
“I started playing football in primary school, I think I was doing grade 4. I was playing for a local club called Stillfontein Real Hearts and the owner of that club, Collins Mamabolo, was the one who took me to trials at Baroka.’’
Mosele isn’t shy to disclose that he’s never liked school, with football always been his first love growing up. However, the Bakgaga midfielder still completed his matric at Kopano High School in Lebowakgomo, Limpopo.
“School is something that I never liked. I wasn’t good at all, so I focused on football but I managed to matriculate in 2018. I arrived at Kopano High School in 2016 to do my grade 10 after I'd dropped out from Vuyanimawethu Secondary School in Khuma to join Baroka.’’
Mosele is the last born of his parents’ five children, with two brothers and two sisters.
Winning the Young Player of the Season accolade in the past campaign, where he beat AmaZulu’s Siphesihle Maduna and Bongokuhle Hlongwane of Maritzburg United to it, boosted Mosele’s confidence.
“I have always been a confident guy, but winning that award [the Young Player of the Season] just gave me more confidence. It made me realise that in football hard work is rewarded."