Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Jayden Adams has cited Themba Zwane as a role model and admits he mimicked his celebration in dedication to the club captain.
Zwane, 35, celebrated his new one-year contract extension with Sundowns with a return to the pitch for the club for the fist time since September 2024 after recovering from a ruptured achilles tendon suffered while on international duty with Bafana Bafana.
Ironically, he replaced Adams in the second half during their 0-0 draw against Al Ahly in their first leg CAF Champions League semi-final at Loftus Versfeld which was met with a standing ovation from the crowd and his teammates, citing his major influence on the squad.
“I think Themba is a very special player, for my especially and for the team, he helps the team so much with his leadership, the character, I can’t describe him in words, he’s just a good player whom I look up to,” Adams said about Zwane.
“That celebration [when I scored in the Nedbank Cup] was dedicated to him because we missed him a lot on the pitch.”
Adams has been an imposing figure for Sundowns since his mid-season transfer from Stellenbosch, slotting in seamlessly into their midfield and returning to the national team with his impressive form.
And he conceded, the step up in quality opposition in the Champions League is something that excites him, after an away trip to Rades to face Esperance and now a trip to Cairo on the horizon to determine the finalists of the 2025 edition of Africa’s elite club competiton.
“I like to play away from home because of the supporters, I like [feeling] that pressure but for us and for me personally it’s [been] a great challenge in the Champions League [facing] these good teams on the continent,” he concluded.
