Sipho Mbule: From ‘finished player’ to Bafana Bafana’s potential AFCON 2025 hero

Sometimes in life, the misfortune of others could be an opportunity for some to profit and this is a description that perhaps fits Sipho Mbule.

Six months ago, Mbule was a ‘finished player’ who many had cast aside as a spent force not because he lacked the talent but due to a number of off-field issues that saw him make headlines for the wrong reasons.

His final years at Mamelodi Sundowns were dominated by stories of his misdemeanors with claims of coming to training under the influence and when he was sent out on loan to Sekhukhune United last season, it was meant to be his redemption moment.

However, things got from bad to worse as off-field issues cropped up again and his loan stint did not last its full length. At this time, Mbule was termed a player who was highly talented but one that had ‘wasted’ his career.

How did Mbule turn around his career?

But even those who supported Mbule during those moments would never have imagined what would come next. A dream move to one of the country’s top clubs, a return to the national team and now one of Bafana Bafana’s main players heading to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and potentially the 2026 World Cup.  

The arrival of Abdeslam Ouaddou at Orlando Pirates signaled a major career turnaround for MasterChef and he would cook his way back into not just the hearts of Pirates fans but South Africans, including those who had written him off.

The former Marumo Gallants coach made it clear that Mbule is a player he wanted in his team and he was not bothered by what had happened in the past, staying confident that he knew how to get the best out of him and would keep him on the straight and narrow.

Indeed, Ouaddou has lived up to his word as Mbule became one of Pirates’ key players, putting in man of the match performances, while there has been no off-field issue reported.

MasterChef ends four-year Bafana exile

Then the biggest call came. Remember about profiting from others’ misfortunes? Yes, with Themba Zwane and Patrick Maswanganyi injured, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos had to turn to Mbule ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria in September.

It was a surprise call-up but one that Mbule had earned thanks to his performances for Pirates, ending his four-year absence from the national team.

However, when many thought he would be a stop-gap measure, he became a permanent fixture as he put in an impressive performance against Lesotho, when South Africa won 3-0, and earned a start against Nigeria in the match that ended 1-1.

Since then, Mbule has played every match, starting the next four, and he was voted man of the match in the last two as his brace of assists helped Bafana Bafana to a 3-1 win over Zambia before his stunning goal beat Ghana 1-0 on Tuesday.

How can Pirates star lead SA to AFCON glory?

Mbule therefore heads to AFCON as one of South Africa’s most important players with Zwane and Maswanganyi even missing out on the squad when many knew they would be on the plane to Morocco.

In Morocco, Mbule will be the heartbeat of Bafana Bafana as he will act as the main creative force while he will also link up defence and attack.

The 27-year-old midfielder has the quality to lead South Africa to AFCON glory as on his day, he can dictate the tempo of the game and unlock tight defences while his great range of passing and ability to play between the lines will take the weight off the attacking players.

At AFCON, defences win matches as teams are hard to break down, with a moment of brilliance deciding games at the other end of the pitch, and here is where Mbule thrives as he has that ability to create a key moment that can turn a game on its head.