Mandla Masango

“I do not like to talk about my weaknesses as that might work against me (laughing) but I do work on them regularly at training.”

“I am always working extra to be a better player and I will continue to do this to improve all aspects of my game.”

“I sometimes have to rely on my creativity to keep up with the tempo of the game.”

“I am grateful to have had an opportunity to play in the World Cup, as we were only the second group since 1992 to achieve that feat.”

“I do not let peer pressure get to me.”

“I am lucky to have a very firm background and I have kept my head down and my feet firmly on the ground despite playing for one of the biggest clubs in the country.”

“I want to leave a legacy for my kids… For my future kids because I don’t have kids now.”

“At the moment, our ‘lose’ is a draw. We leave the pitch heartbroken after drawing a game and we are driven to make up for that in the next game.”

“But you can’t win all the time. It’s great being part of a setup that doesn’t lose.”

“Every player hates losing. No one goes to the field with the intention of losing.”

“It’s harder to play against teams from the lower leagues because they have nothing to lose and you have everything to lose.”

“you have to give respect to every opponent that you come up against, regardless of their status or where they play.”

“If we have a good foundation, it makes our life easier going forward because we press our opponents very high”

“That’s why it is not easy to break us and score against us.”

“We do the same thing here at SuperSport which helps the team to be compact.”

“You don’t just stand on the flanks and wait for the ball. You have to defend, too.”

“That side (in Denmark), you play more as a box-to-box player even if you are a winger.”

“I combine that with what I already knew, which has helped me grow.”

“It’s just that I have learnt a few fundamentals that side.”

“There isn’t much difference to the Mandla that left South Africa to this one.”