Two trophies in weeks! Cele grateful to ditch Kaizer Chiefs for Sundowns

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Two trophies in weeks! Cele grateful to ditch Kaizer Chiefs for Sundowns
Thabo Cele of Mamelodi Sundowns in training

Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Thabo Cele has reflected on his short but successful stint at the club, having left Kaizer Chiefs last month.

Cele was deemed surplus to requirements at Chiefs where coach Fernando da Cruz made it clear he was not ready to work with him from the start.

Thabo Cele has been unveiled by Mamelodi Sundowns.
Thabo Cele when he was unveiled by Mamelodi Sundowns. Image: Mamelodi Sundowns

The midfielder was frozen out of the squad and omitted from the pre-season tour, seeing him train alone before his contract was terminated.

Cele blessed to have joined Sundowns

Following his exit from Chiefs, Sundowns moved with speed to sign Cele as a free agent and over a couple of weeks later, he was celebrating the Africa-Asia-Pacific Cup, following a 1-0 win against Al Ahli, before lifting the MTN8 on Saturday after the Brazilians beat Orlando Pirates 2-0 in the final.

Thabo Cele at Kaizer Chiefs
Thabo Cele at Kaizer Chiefs. Image: Kaizer Chiefs

“It’s a blessing because it’s not something that’s common and having joined the club recently, winning these two trophies is very special for me and special for us as the new players coming in to also help the club elevate,” he said as quoted by IOL.

Looking back at his tough time at Naturena before moving to Chloorkop, the midfielder did not want to dwell on the past but is rather focused on further success for his new club.

Ex-Chiefs star grateful to overcome tough spell

“For me football is just like life, they’ll always be difficulties, and you have to overcome (them) so having gone through what I went through, it’s just about pushing myself and thinking about what’s coming next and what was next for me was being at a club like Sundowns,” he added.

Cele was on the bench for the match against Al Ahli before coming on for the final 22 minutes in the MTN8 final in what was his debut for Sundowns.

He will be hoping to make his first league start when Sundowns play away at Richards Bay on Tuesday, October 13.

<!-- Author Start -->Joel Oliver<!-- Author End -->

Joel Oliver

Author

Joel Oliver is a sports journalist covering South Africa, with 16 years in sports media and a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. Focused on football analysis and responsible gambling, his work has appeared on GOAL and Pulse Sports Kenya, and he is a regular football analyst on TV and radio.

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