If there is one football supporter who has the widest smile at the moment, it's definitely actor and presenter Lunga Shabalala, who has both the clubs he supports sitting pretty on top of their respective leagues. He supports Mamelodi Sundowns and Arsenal and both clubs are currently in sublime form and in good positions to win the league titles in South Africa and England, respectively. Soccer Laduma spoke to Shabalala about his two clubs and where his love for them started.
Hi Lunga, you definitely must be buzzing after Mamelodi Sundowns hammered Al Ahly 5-2 over the weekend.
This past weekend showed exactly what Sundowns is, from top to bottom. The fact that the stadium was full and the fact that the team showed up… everything went well. The coaching, the tactics, the execution on the pitch, the score line. This is it. If I didn't believe last week, then this week I believe.
Do you think this is the season finally get that second Champions League star?
The chances are high. Peter Shalulile looks like he is coming right after coming back and if he goes up one more gear, then I think we are there. There is a chance. This could be our season for another one.
Talk to us about how you started supporting Sundowns?
It's a team I inherited from my late uncle. It was in 2000 when he passed away. I lived in a house where my father was a Pirates fan. On his side of the family, my uncles were Chiefs fans, but on my mom's side of the family, my uncle was a Sundowns fan. When he passed on, he actually left me a Sundowns jersey. It was the Rothman's Cup jersey with the Disprin logo. Weirdly, a few weeks later, Sundowns won 7-0, but I can't remember who it was against. And then I was like 'okay, maybe I did make the right decision' and I have not regretted much since then.
What a legendary jersey. Do you still have the jersey?
Yes, it's probably somewhere at home.
Which Sundowns player do you regard as your all-time favourite?
Surprise Moriri. He was always a favourite of mine. He was always cool, calm and collected. There was a time when Esrom Nyandoro would just come through with shots. The Yellow-Man. And then there is Hlompho Kekana. I have spent time with him before and I am a big fan of successful person who stay humble, and he is the humblest person I have met my entire life. It's almost as if he is unaware of what he has done. He is going to do down as one of the greatest.
Which is the one Sundowns game you will never forget?
We were playing against AmaZulu, and the game had gone to extra-time. The AmaZulu goalkeeper was taking his time and we scored from the halfway line. It was Surprise Moriri who scored. I obviously won't forget the 6-0 win over Pirates at Loftus. Maybe the one I lost my voice to was when we won the league on the final day of the season after lockdown. Chiefs drew with Baroka and we won. Everything was against Sundowns when (Cyril) Ramaphosa made the announcement that there would be lockdown. People wanted the league to end right there and then.
Let's focus on Arsenal, who have been incredible this season. Can you remember where you were when Arsenal last won the league in 2003/04 and were famously named the 'Invincibles'?
I was in grade nine. What's weird is that in that moment, I don't think I understood the magnitude of what we were doing. We also did not have this drought that we have now. It's not like we didn't know what winning was like because we had a winning culture. It was either us or Man United at the time. We were amazing in all departments. We probably had the best midfield at the time, and we had the most robbed player in history, Thierry Henry. He should have won a Ballon d'Or. We had everything. But I don't think it would be as big as this season. If we win it, I am going to lose my mind. I am going to tattoo the emblem on my arm. I was looking at the stats recently. Statistically, we are one game better in terms of wins with this team than we were with the 'Invincibles'.
Did you expect that they would be top of the table at this stage of the season?
I don't think anyone expected it when the season kicked off last year. Yes, there were signs of progress and I think the goal for a lot of us as fans was to be in the top four. If you told us that we would be in top four, we would have bitten off our hands, to be honest. Because from where we come from to where we are, it's a huge jump. It does not make any sense in terms of how young our manager (Mikel Arteta) is. He has managed under 200 games, here we are, with a five-point lead at the top. We have the youngest team in the league. But I always say that it's one game at a time because football has taught us that one weekend can be yours and another could be your worst. The league is not decided yet.
What do you think was the biggest turnaround for Arsenal this season?
The identity Arteta has implemented in the team, but I think the biggest turning point was letting go of (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang last season. That was a big step on the manager's part to show that no one is bigger than the team. Secondly, our defence has been key. With (William) Saliba coming back from loan, it changed us completely. Thomas Partey being on form has been important and (Bukayo) Saka is on a different level right now. Now, (Gabriel) Jesus is back, and it will make a difference. Bringing him in gave the team a chance to believe again. When you have a young team, they don't know failure, but they don't success either. So, when you have someone like that who has won things, it's big. There's a different drive to us. The signings that were made in January were exceptional. (Leandro) Trossard has made an impact and Jorginho calms this down.
Where did your love for Arsenal come from?
I did not grow up in a house that had DStv, so we had to wait for like M-Net open time to watch highlights. I think we were playing Valencia at Highbury and they won the game 3-1. The star of that game was Robert Pires. I love the team and the way the stadium looked and after a while, I saw the identity of Arsenal compared to what Liverpool or Man United was doing.
Who is your all-time favourite Arsenal player?
It's the king, TH14 - Thierry Henry. I was lucky enough to meet him. He is the most assured person I have ever met in my life. He was the most complete striker.
