I had mixed emotions

Mention the name Phakamani Mahlambi and many would probably sigh at the thought of what a legend this man could have been. With so much talent, Mahlambi had the potential to have a great career, but some decisions led him the wrong way and eventually out of football much earlier than expected. But there's still hope of another Mahlambi making it big in the Betway Premiership and possibly abroad in the future. Seluleko Mahlambi, the younger brother to Phakamani, is having a dream start to life at TS Galaxy and fingers are crossed that he can go on to have a great career. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Tshepang Mailwane, the 21-year-old striker talks about how he got to Galaxy and what it was like growing up with his older brother.

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Tshepang Mailwane: Hola Seluleko, you've made a great start to life in the Betway Premiership with five goals and two assists in 11 matches. What do you make of this good start?

Seluleko Mahlambi: I didn’t think I would start like this. After being promoted from the DDC (DStv Diski Challenge), I thought I would train with the first team and then go play matches for the DDC team and then they would give me a chance to play for the first team at the right time. But, through the grace of God, things have happened the way they have happened and now I have had the opportunity to play for the first team, and I have used the opportunity in the best way possible. That means the coaches probably like the way I have been playing. God is great because I didn’t expect to have a start like this in my first season. In the friendly matches (during preseason), I was providing assists and scoring goals, so I think the coach (Adnan Beganovic) saw that he could give me an opportunity to play.

TM: Let’s go back to where it all started for you. You've been around quite a bit, so share your journey with us...

SM: I started in 2019. I was at AmaZulu FC, and coach Ayanda Dlamini promoted me to the DDC team. I was 15 at the time. After that, I left to join Cape Town City’s DDC team. I was there for the 2023/24 season. I was only there for one season. They told me that they would not extend my contract, so I had to come to Johannesburg to look for work. I eventually joined TS Galaxy on their DDC team.

TM: Were there any moments where you were worried that your career was not going well because you changed teams so often?