While Kaizer Chiefs may be middling in mediocrity at the moment, their influential midfielder Thabo Cele has delivered a stirring message for the fans of the club.
The 28-year-old joined Chiefs in the January transfer window, after spending his formative years as a professional footballer in Europe.
Cele took the unusual route for an SA footballer of beginning his career abroad, with stints in Portugal, Poland, and Russia.
His best spell of his career to date came at Cova da Piedade from 2018 to 2021 as Cele made over 70 appearances for the Portuguese outfit.
Cele's impact at Soweto Giants: Rising star and inspirational leader
Since joining the Soweto giants, Cele has been a standout player and reportedly also drawing the attention of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos.
While his performances for Chiefs have been hailed, his philosophy also stands out.
“We are trying to share a positive mindset among ourselves. Football is life. You fall, and you rise. That’s how I look at it, and that’s how I think we look at it as a team,” said Cele.
“We are trying to feed that fire for the next game because I believe we need that,” Cele added.
Currently, Chiefs are in eighth position, not much better than the 10th spot they finished last season. Chiefs, though, with their 29-point tally, are just six behind third-placed Stellenbosch FC.
Cele was optimistic about the future of Chiefs.
“Well, I have to say, it is also the environment. The people I found here, my teammates, the technical team, and also my heart has always been here. I’ve been working on my individual dreams, and at the same time, it was always something that was going to happen.