Mophela Primary
School represented South Africa at the 2017 Danone Nations Cup World Final soccer
tournament in New York last month and, although the team finished 27th
out of the 32 teams competing – it was a life-changing experience for the boys
involved, and for one player in particular, Njabulo Ndlovu. The trip to the USA showed that he can hold
his head high and compete with distinction against the top players of his
generation.
Njabulo Ndlovu
rose to the challenge and made the most of the opportunity he was given. He proved
to be versatile and able to play in any position, and was not intimidated by
players who were physically bigger and stronger than him, some of whom played
for the youth academies of Europe’s most famous clubs. Germany was represented
by the youth team from RB Leipzig FC and ended in 5th position and
the under-12 team from Atletico Madrid represented Spain finishing in 9th
position. The tournament was won by
Mexico.
New York and the
Danone Nations Cup World Finals were on a different planet for Njabulo. Mophelo
Primary School is in the tiny KwaZulu-Natal rural village of Hammarsdale, and
Njabulo lives in an orphanage.
He moved into
the Lily of the Valley children’s home two years ago after living, along with
17 others, in a single-room dwelling, all surviving on his grandmother’s social
welfare pension.
At Lily of the
Valley he shares a room with Sanele Dlamini who attends Gabigabi High School and
prefers choir to soccer. Njabulo looks up to Sanele as a big brother and Sanele
has been very influential, always encouraging him, and helping him with his
schoolwork.
At the orphanage
he gets three square meals a day, and he has learned to speak English – which
was an advantage at the tournament in New York. He has also come into contact
with international visitors who volunteer to work there.
Going to the USA
was exciting, and he knew something of what to expect, having been prepared by
Laura Everett, an American volunteer who helped him with his English and taught
him some life skills.
“I’d like to
return to the USA one day and I would like to play soccer in Europe,” Njabulo
said. “The USA changed my way of thinking. I’m from a very rural area, but now
I know I can go out and improve myself and come back and improve the village I
live in. I know I’ll need to work hard and do well at school to do that.”
Njabulo’s team
mates struggled to adapt to the food they were given in New York. They are used
to a diet of mealie meal porridge, and they didn’t get that there. At the
orphanage they grow their own vegetables and Njabulo is used to a varied diet,
so he loved the meals they received.
Njabulo has been
identified by the scouts from AmaZulu FC and can’t wait for next year when he
will be with them on a more permanent basis. He is working on his English,
hoping they will send him to Glenwood Boys’ High next year.
One day he would
like to become a teacher. “I want to come back to the village and make a major
impact in changing the environment there to improve the entire village,” he
said.
For Njabulo the
highlights of going to the world finals were playing on great surfaces and
meeting players from other countries. With his stylish play, and ability to
speak English, he was a popular tourist.
Jetlag and
adjusting to a different time zone affected the team badly, he said. “In the
first days we had no energy, so we made a slow start.”
The big
Indonesian team, with their direct passing game and movement off the ball were
their toughest opponents, Njabulo said, while England – who they beat twice –
were the friendliest team, and the nicest to hang out with.
The best team to
watch, according to Njabulo, was Spain. “I loved the way they would pass the
ball to each other and how well they communicated on the field,” he said. But then what else can you expect from
Atletico Madrid’s development team.
Team captain,
Kwanda Zungu, played a crucial role, Njabulo said. “He was the funniest one,
and he was always positive. When we were feeling low after losing, he managed
to motivate the team, he had us laughing and back on track again, ready for the
next match.
“He kept
reminded us that just being in the USA was a major achievement,” said
Njabulo. “We were playing in an
international arena against the best under-12 teams, and we come from a poor
rural area with no football field so we were at a disadvantage.”
The key lesson
for Njabulo was not to focus on the negative but to be positive and learn
something new every day. “Of course we would have loved to have done better,
but it is not just about winning. It’s about improving oneself and learning as
well. We are the luckiest under-12
footballers in South Africa! I just
cannot thank Danone Southern Africa enough for creating such an opportunity for
us. It sure was a dream come true.”
