Sibusiso Vilakazi has spoken for the first time after his Mamelodi Sundowns exit, reflecting on his “beautiful memories” filled with trophies.
Vilakazi, 32, was announced as new TS Galaxy signing on Thursday, joining the club alongside Xola Mlambo, who was also unveiled.
Vila, as he’s affectionally known, made 138 appearances for Masandawana, scoring 29 goals and assisting another 21, helping them to lift five successive Premier Soccer League titles.
He has now thanked the club’s leadership, his former coaches, teammates and the supporters of Downs.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank the President for giving me this opportunity for stepping into the Sundowns world, Sundowns territory. And once again, I thank the board, the Chairman, for allowing me to come here and help the team when it needed me the most,” he said.
“And of course, I’d like to go on to the to the coaches also, that they were able to give me the opportunity and the teammates that I’ve worked with in terms of now helping the team to bring the trophies back to the team or win those trophies back to the team, because I feel like Sundance is a team that should be winning each and every season.
“So the days that I’ve shared were very emotional, because I can reflect to 2016, whereby my first championship, we won it, it was super cup. It was my first championship, it was my first season.
“That’s when I felt like now I came here for the right purpose, which was winning the trophies. And up to date, it’s been joyful, because it’s been a showering of trophies season after season, trophies that have been updated with one back-to-back-to-back-to-back, and then it’s countless up to this far.”
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Vilakazi also recalled his very first campaign when downs were beaten by his former club to the league title, but was happy that trophies followed soon after.
“The only sad experience, it was my first season and we lost the league title to Wits. And it was sad, because of I had just came this side. And as I came this side, they win it. So just like bad luck or something,” he added.
“But the next season we went on, and then we went to fetch it, and then from there, and it was a never-ending story of titles, titles, titles, titles, titles, titles, titles, and it’s been beautiful up to so far, and of course, having to mention all these people.
“But another number that we have to add is the fans, that shooting before the COVID days has been exceptional, singing out their voice, out loud, then came COVID but through even COVID we felt that we had their backing from them, then after COVID and it was a total different experience this past two seasons.
“As I say it has been a flowering of beautiful memories and beautiful trophies that we put in front. And of course, every day, that’s the objective, putting the trophies in front, continue to strive for greatness.”
