Bafana Bafana striker Lebo Mothiba says he supports Mamelodi Sundowns and they would likely be the only team he’d play for if he were to return home.
The 27-year-old was part of Sundowns development as a defender in his formative years before joining the famed Diambars Academy, which set him up for a move to France at 18.
Mothiba joined Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille where he impressed with the reserve team over three seasons scoring eight goals in 32 games before his professional breakthrough on loan in Ligue 2 with Valenciennes earned him a place in Lille’s first-team set-up.
With 17 league goals in two seasons, Strasbourg took advantage of Lille’s financial troubles and prised him away in a €4 million transfer, where he then scored 12 goals in his debut season which earned him a place in the Bafana Bafana squad.
But injury curtailed his progress for club and country for the past four seasons and now, as he returns to full form and fitness, he admits he wasn’t considering returning at any point.
“After football, after my career I am coming back to South Africa to live here, that’s always been my goal, play there, come back to South Africa after my career,” Mothiba said.
“My focus for now is Europe, playing in Europe, I’ve never thought of coming back here to play here. But you never know, anything is possible.”
When pressed over which club he would like to play for, if ever, he ever returned to his homeland, Mothiba revealed he holds a deep affiliation to the DStv Premiership champions.
“When I was here before I left, before I went to Diambars Academy, I was playing for Mamelodi Sundowns. Sundowns has been my team since I was young, I was playing U10, U11 but then I was a centre-back before moving forward,” he explained.
“But here in South Africa my team, my home is Sundowns. I’m following them even that side, every time they play I follow the games, I watch them, they can play.”
Mothiba scored four goals in his first five games for Bafana, the last of which came back in 2018 in a 1-1 draw against Nigeria.
