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Mngqithi rebuke helped Mudau settle down at Downs

Defender hopes to make most of Bafana call-up

Sihle Ndebele Journalist
Khuliso Mudau of Mamelodi Sundowns is challenged by Friday Samu of Maritzburg United in the DStv Premiership match at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on March 5 2022.
Khuliso Mudau of Mamelodi Sundowns is challenged by Friday Samu of Maritzburg United in the DStv Premiership match at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on March 5 2022.
Image: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Mamelodi Sundowns mentor Manqoba Mngqithi was once heard, live on television during a game, angrily asking right-back Khuliso Mudau how many balls was he going to lose on that particular day.

Mudau has since opened up about this incident and how it helped him to finally knuckle down at Chloorkop, having initially struggled after joining from Black Leopards last October. Mudau's meteoric rise is the reason he's in the Bafana Bafana squad for upcoming high-profile friendlies against Guinea and France in Europe.

"At Sundowns you don't have to lose a lot of balls. During that game where coach Manqoba shouted at me I was losing a lot of balls... I lost four balls and it was costing the team.

"I was feeling bad because I was letting the team down but after that game, I started to improve,'' Mudau said during his media engagement at Dobsonville Stadium, where Bafana trained on Monday, before departing for Europe. 

This is Mudau's maiden Bafana call-up. The 26-year-old lad from Musina in Limpopo banks on the experience he's garnered in the CAF Champions League with the Brazilians to help him do well for the national team. Bafana face Guinea in Belgium on Friday, before traveling to France to face the world champions four days later.

"We've been travelling a lot with Sundowns, experiencing a lot of things. I am now accustomed to different environments, thanks to playing in the Champions League. I believe the Champions League has prepared me well for Bafana,'' noted Mudau.

Sundowns have qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals and he is optimistic they can win the trophy they won in 2016.

"We have a feeling that we can win it. We have an opportunity to win it but we have to work hard to achieve that. We want to come back with the cup.''

Mudau isn't fazed by the possibility of coming up against French superstars such as Kylian Mbappé and N'Golo Kanté among others.

"We're going to play our normal game and fight for our country. We can win. This is football and it's 11 v 11 at the end of the day." 

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