How Onyango inspired compatriot Magoola

Richards Bay goalkeeper Salim Magoola has opened up about the influence of his countryman Denis Onyango in his own football career.

The 27-year-old Magoola first arrived in SA to join Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit Pretoria Callies in October 2021. The Ugandan shot-stopper joined Bay from Callies at the start of the current campaign.

“Onyango has not played a role only in my career but he’s a role model to almost every player in Uganda. There was a time where things weren’t going well for him here in SA... when he left SuperSport [in 2010] he joined Aces and he wasn’t getting game time. He persevered until things came together and that taught me that in life you must be patient,” Magoola told Sowetan in a wide-ranging interview.

“When I came to Callies he told me that I must work hard and I will get a Premiership move... that gave me courage and the rest is history. He’s a good example to all of us in Uganda... an epitome of hard work.”

Magoola may be in his first season in the South African top-flight but he is a seasoned campaigner, having tasted CAF Champions League football during his stints with Sudanese giants  Al-Merrick and Al-Hilal. The Ugandan international played for Al-Merrick between 2014 and 2018 before spending the next four years at Al-Hilal.

“I spent seven years in Sudan, playing in the Champions League as well. That made things a little bit easier for me to adapt to life in the PSL. The experience I gained over the years in Sudan has played a huge role in my career... I am the keeper I am today because of that experience,” said Magoola, who boasts 35 Champions League appearances for both Al-Merrick and Al-Hilal.

Magoola is odds-on to start when Natal Rich Boyz host Kaizer Chiefs in a Dstv Premiership encounter at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm).

Fixtures

Friday: Swallows v Pirates, Dobsonville (7.30pm).

Saturday: Bay v Chiefs, King Zwelithini (3.30pm); Royal v Sekhukhune, Chatsworth (5.45pm); Maritzburg v CPT City, Harry Gwala (8pm).

Sunday: Chippa v AmaZulu, Nelson Mandela Bay (3.30pm); Marumo v Galaxy, Free State (3.30pm); Stellenbosch v Sundowns, Danie Craven (3.30pm); SuperSport v Arrows, Lucas Moripe (5.45pm).