Themba ‘Messi’ Ndlovu says Varsity Football gave him a platform to showcase his talent.
Ndlovu had a memorable 2017 campaign in the No 10 TUT jersey, captaining the team with aplomb and leaving everything on the football pitch as a player.
While TUT lost 2-0 to Tuks in the cup final, Ndlovu won the FNB Player of the Tournament award and the Golden Boot after scoring seven goals.
Everything Ndlovu touched that year turned to gold. He was lethal in front of goal and a defender’s worst nightmare. He scored vital goals and carried the team on his narrow shoulders.
‘I was on fire in 2017,’ the 28-year-old tells VarsitySportsSA.com. ‘I grew in confidence and made scoring goals a habit. I did not win the title, but I won the hearts of the supporters and attracted the attention of scouts and several PSL clubs.’
Ndlovu reflects on his Varsity Football stint with a broad smile.
‘Were it not for the tournament, I would not have gone on to fulfil my potential in the PSL,’ he says. ‘I also graduated from TUT with a National Diploma in Fine Art.’
After 2017 Varsity Football, the Mpumalanga-born footballer signed his first professional contract with Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) in the GladAfrica Championship.
His incredible performances for TTM – he received R20,000 from the Venda-based outfit for winning the Golden Boot after a splendid 2017-18 season – attracted the attention of Black Leopards, who snapped up the talented forward.
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‘Varsity Football changed my life drastically because I was able to play in the PSL for more than three seasons,’ he says. ‘It was a dream come true for a village boy like me to play in one of the biggest leagues on the continent. I achieved that because of Varsity Football.’
Ndlovu was thrilled to finish top of the Varsity Football goal-scoring charts in 2017.
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‘My hard work paid off. I wrote myself into Varsity Football history and I will remember it for many years to come.
‘My wish now is for Varsity Football players to go on to earn contracts with European teams and play in the big European leagues.’
By Charles Baloyi
Main photo: Dominic Barnardt/Varsity Sports
