Former Orlando Pirates dribbling wizard, Mark Mayambela, is now a UEFA B licensed coach, with his sights firmly set on obtaining his A license.
A former player getting top football coach education is a good thing, but not big news.
What makes Mayambela's story interesting is because of the player he was.
In his playing days, Mayambela was a firm crowd favorite. He gave South African football fans what they wanted, which was a little bit more 'sugar and spice' in his game.
But with becoming a crowd favorite, comes the blinding lights of fame that have seen many talented footballers in the country fall by the wayside.
For Mayambela though, the football gods spared him from the curse of being haunted by fame's demons.
He is currently working as a coach with the Cape Town City DDC side, and seems destined for much bigger things.
"I want to build myself as a coach, different from the player that I was," Mayambela told Sowetan Live. https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/sport/soccer/2023-04-25-mayambela-aims-to-leave-a-mark-as-coach/
"Of course, people will always associate me with how I played football or the player that I was, but also I must establish myself as a coach; be humble enough to learn, to seek assistance and be patient. I’m honestly comfortable, happy and proud of myself and what I have achieved so far in coaching."
Mayambela credits his environment and the people within it for his seamless transition into coaching.
"I would say it [the transition] has been smooth so far. I’m in a good environment, surrounded by good people and I’m coaching good players.
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"Of course, the transition is always tricky, but the nice thing is I have created a pathway for myself. I did plan this transition..., hence I’m empowering myself and doing coaching courses because it’s part of my pathway.
"Coaching in the development is part of my pathway. I could have easily gone to be an assistant coach at a PSL or NFD club, use my playing profile... but I took a different route; I wanted to start from scratch."
By the look of things, only the sky is the limit in the coaching sphere for the 35-year-old former left winger.
