Lebogang Phiri of Sekhukhune United during the Betway Premiership match.
Image: BackpagePix
Lebogang Phiri is grateful for the lessons he learned during his stint abroad, which is why he wants to give back to his mentor, Eric Tinkler, and his club, Sekhukhune United.
Phiri recently joined Sekhukhune on a short-term deal until the end of the season, after ending a 13-year spell abroad. The attacking midfielder, who recently turned 31, should have arguably been at the peak of his career abroad, instead of returning home.
However, he appears delighted to be back home, particularly in his hometown of Johannesburg, having hit the ground running at Babina Noko with five games played since joining the club.
Phiri has also reflected on his tenure in Europe, which included spells in Denmark, France, and Turkey.
“It was hard,” Phiri reflected on his journey abroad. “It needed a lot of perseverance, dedication, and mental preparation. I spent most of my time abroad alone, so it was quite hard. But like I said, I am grateful for all of that. Now, I am back at home, and all the focus is on what Lebogang Phiri and Sekhukhune United need to do.”
Phiri and Babina Noko could be a match made in heaven. The diminutive midfielder has reunited with Tinkler, the same coach who scouted him at Shooting Stars for the Bidvest Wits U12 side.
Given that Tinkler – alongside Ashley Makhanya and Roger De Sa – played a key role in helping Phiri secure his first European move to Brondby Juniors in 2013, he has described his reunion with the tactician as a “blessing.”
“He gave me the opportunity to be the person that I am today, through the connection that he’s had and the coaching he offered me at a very young age,” Phiri added. “He prepared me for the big stage, and I hope that I didn’t disappoint him. I feel like this is a way of giving back to him.”
With that said, indications are Tinkler played a part in Phiri joining Sekhukhune in the January transfer window, but the attacker knows that the team comes first.
As a result, with Sekhukhune United being one of the favourites to win the Nedbank Cup after reaching the quarter-final – where they’ll face Motsepe Foundation Championship side Milford FC next weekend – Phiri believes he has arrived at the right time to help the team win their first top-flight silverware.
“This stage of the competition is a plus for me as an individual. I can certainly add to things that I have accomplished in my life,” Phiri said.
Babina Noko will be favourites heading into the game against Milford, given their top-flight status and home ground advantage – something that Phiri wants the team to capitalise on.
“Going forward into this game, we are going to give it our all,” Phiri said. “After all, we are the team that’s in the PSL top-flight, so we need to be intentional with how we go about this game.
We need to make sure that we deserve to be here. We can’t show mercy. At the end of the day, they are the underdogs, and everybody is behind them. We just have to go at it.”
Sekhukhune are still in the running to finish in the top three in the Betway Premiership. Should they achieve that feat and also win the Nedbank Cup, it would certainly be the perfect homecoming for Phiri – one that he’ll be grateful for due to the lessons abroad.
*Mihlali Baleka is Independent Media's senior football reporter and a panelist on the group's soccer podcast, The D-Line, which is exclusive on our YouTube channel The Clutch