Kaizer Chiefs youngster Naledi Hlongwane inspired as he eyes UK test

Naledi Hlongwane is living the dream through hard work and by honouring his humble beginnings, which is why he draws inspiration from those who walked the road before him.

Hlongwane is currently on tour in the UK with the Kaizer Chiefs reserve team for the next 10 days, during which they’ll play a mini-tournament against Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers and the Leeds United reserve teams.

This trip is part of Amakhosi’s reward for winning their maiden reserve league title – the DStv Diski Challenge – last campaign after 10 seasons.

For Hlongwane, “this is a dream come true.” After cutting his football teeth in the dusty streets of Sharpeville, he didn’t know that he would one day be a championship winner with arguably the biggest club in the country.

But thanks to respecting his parents – even though his father’s death two years ago forced him to become the head of the house at an early age – Hlongwane is reaping the rewards.

He does, however, name a special someone who inspired him to dream big, helping him edge closer and closer to becoming a fully-fledged footballer in the near future.

“I would say it’s Relebohile Mofokeng,” said Hlongwane of the Orlando Pirates talisman. “We grew up together in primary school. We were rivals, though, as he was in another school.

“So, I could say that he’s the one who pushed me, because I was like: I played with this guy in childhood and he’s now in the first team of Orlando Pirates – the biggest team in South Africa – and playing regularly. So, I could say he pushed me to the limit.”

Mofokeng is still pushing Hlongwane. After being part of the first-team pre-season camp in the Netherlands, Hlongwane started his first game for Amakhosi in the 2–0 win over Stellenbosch in the Betway Premiership opener.

But that was it. He has since been demoted back to the reserve team, though he was part of the SA U20 team – Amajita – which impressively reached the last 16 at the recent World Cup in Chile.

Given all that experience, Hlongwane has shared with his teammates what they can expect from their European opponents.

“The intensity is different in Europe,” Hlongwane recalled. “At half-time, I was sweating. I thought the game was over, and they said, ‘another 45 minutes to play’.

“I told the gents, ‘there, the intensity is high. They pass the ball quickly and you have to press’. Together with Thulani (Mabaso), who was also in the Netherlands, we told them we need to take everything step by step.

“We are obviously not the same in terms of depth, and we are playing against some of the biggest teams in their league – Leeds and Manchester have some of the best academies, I would say.”

Hlongwane is indeed looking forward to playing the three matches and exploring one of the most popular stadiums in the world: Old Trafford.

“It’s going to be a good experience and something that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Hlongwane said. “Yes, the pitch that we have here in Naturena is good, but they are clearly on another level. It will be a good experience for us.”