In football news that will excite supporters and the Banyana Banyana coach Desire Ellis, star player Thembi Kgatlana is back on the pitch and has made her debut for her American football club Racing Louisville on Sunday.
Kgatlana has been out of action for close to a year after she was injured at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco in July 2022.
There were fears that she might not be ready in time for the big one – the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand between July and August.
She underwent surgery and a thorough rehabilitation in South Africa and the US, and is now looking good to dazzle.
On Sunday, she came on in the 86th minute with her side trailing Orlando Pride by 1-0.
According to Centrecircle website, Kgatlana said she was overjoyed to be back on the field doing something she loves – playing football.
“It was amazing to come back and play, but it was also a very bitter-sweet moment for me because I signed with Louisville a year ago and I only get to play now,” she reportedly told the media in the US after the match.
“Tough result but I think for me it was an achievement.”
The 2018 CAF African Woman Player of the Year said she kept on believing that she would return to the field, mainly because of the support she received while out of action.
The Randfontein-born striker added that she will forever be grateful to Racing Louisville for standing beside her throughout her lengthy spell on the sidelines.
“To be honest, time was the only challenging thing. I knew I would come back because I had great support from the minute I got injured – Louisville were always there with me and supported me.
“The medical team here was in constant check with my medical team in South Africa. The medical team in South Africa also made sure that I went for surgery as soon as possible, and I was able to get proper surgery, proper physios.
“When people tell you that you are out for a year, you kind of have everything in your head saying ‘oh damn, a year is such a long time’, but I took it one day at a time.
“I think the best thing that made me to have a passion to come back was how Louisville supported me, even when I got injured. I signed with them on a Thursday and I got injured on a Sunday.
“They could have easily pulled out and said ‘hey, we no longer want you’. I would like to say thank you to Louisville, the technical team, my federation, and everyone else who supported me, so that I may be able to come back and play.”
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