Siyabonga Nomvethe's name always comes to mind when I think of the finest professional footballers ever produced in South Africa.
He is a living legend who has always shown dedication and determination in whatever he does, from his days as a youngster playing for African Wanderers in Kwazulu-Natal, until now in his late 30s.
Bhele has always led by example, even as a youngster, scoring goals and doing well alongside the likes of Tholumuzi Blose, Sibusiso Zuma and Pumlani Mkhize at Wanderers.
For young Soccer-Laduma readers who might be wondering who we are talking about here, Nomvethe has been a professional footballer since the 90s, when he starred for Wanderers and subsequently earned a big move to Kaizer Chiefs in 1998.
He scored 42 goals in 79 games for Kaizer Chiefs and this achievement earned him an overseas move in 2001.
Nomvethe has remained the same humble and hard-working professional, who is dedicated to the sport despite his achievements over the years.
It isn't surprising that even today, Moroka Swallows players speak very highly of the 35-year-old and the respect they have for him and what he does on and off the field.
This is the player that has represented Bafana Bafana more than 80 times. There aren't many players who have played in Italy's Serie A and the FIFA World Cup that remain as humble as this KZN professional I have chosen to write about today.
Nomvethe is one of the few players that has played for all three Soweto giants, Orlando Pirates, Chiefs and Swallows.
In his interview with Soccer-Laduma recently, Swallows defender Roger da Costa mentioned Nomvethe as one of the players that inspire him and the rest of the players at the club.
"The team is gelling well at the moment. We've got a good bunch of guys who are great professionals. Guys like (Siyabonga) Nomvethe, (MacBeth) Sibaya, Terminator Mabalane and Greg Etafia are amazing and inspiring," said Da Costa.
I think aspiring footballers should look to Nomvethe to learn how a professional footballer should take care of himself, both on and off the field. Just like fine wine, he just gets better with age.
He has been creating and scoring goals for the team, something he has made himself famous for over the years.
It wasn't surprising to see Nomvethe collecting the PSL Footballer of the Season, PSL Player of the Season, PSL Players' Player of the Season and the PSL Top Goal Scorer awards at the end of the 2011/12 season.
He and his teammates at Swallows made the PSL title chase of the 2011/12 season interesting, although they lost out to eventual winners, Orlando Pirates, on the last day of the season.
Aspiring footballers out there, look up to this amazing professional, known as Bhele to many, learn from what he does and you may just be a star yourself.
Well done Bhele, keep on running, take on the defenders and score goals, you are an inspiration.
It's all in the name of the beautiful game.
Masebe Qina
Follow Masebe on Twitter: @MasebeQina
