Zwane is hoping that he can win two more trophies – with Sundowns and Bafana – before he calls time on his glittering career.
Themba Zwane may have won every trophy on the continent with Mamelodi Sundowns, but there are two more items he wants to tick off on his bucket list.
The Brazilians were crowned the inaugural winners of the African Football League (AFL) on Sunday after beating Wydad Casablanca 2-0 at Loftus Versfeld in the return leg of the final (3-2 on aggregate).
That not only stamped their authority as one of the powerhouses of African football, but Sundowns players also etched their names in the history books.
Amid the club’s success in domestic football, Zwane and Denis Onyango were also part of the class of 2016 that won the CAF Champions League and Super Cup.
But Zwane is hoping that he can win two more trophies – with Sundowns and Bafana – before he calls time on his glittering career.
“I want to win the Champions League again and obviously win something with Bafana,” he said.
“The Africa Cup of Nations is coming. If I can get that one, I would be happy.”
Zwane and his Bafana teammates will fine-tune their preparations for the Afcon finals in January when they start the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the next two weeks.
Bafana will host Benin in the opener of the qualifiers at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, before travelling to Butare next Tuesday to face Rwanda.
On their return from the Fifa break, Zwane and his Sundowns teammates will start the group stage campaign in the Champions League. They’ll host Nouadhibou on Friday, November 24.
The Champions League is regarded as the elite competition of African football given its competitiveness and high rewards, but Zwane holds the AFL, which starts with the quarter-finals, in high regard as well.
“Winning this trophy is a boost for us going into the Champions League,” said Zwane before weighing up the similarities between the AFL and Champions League.
“This cup is the same as the Champions League because we’ll meet the same teams in the Champions League. We now need to improve in the Champions League.”
Zwane is not one of the most successful and longest-serving players at Sundowns by fluke. At 34, he continues to lead from the front on and off the field.
He’s been so consistent that he’s been in the running for some of the top accolades in domestic football for the past seven years, including the Footballer of the Season award.
However, his ability to take the young and new players at the club under his wing has been one of the things that has made him stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Zwane is not taking that for granted, saying that he ensures that he learns the ways the new players play so that they can get the best out of each other on match day.
“It’s very important for me to try and get along with the players, especially with the new players. When they arrive I try to learn how they play at training,” Zwane said.
“I try to bring brotherhood because I know that’s also going to help us when we play. So yeah, that’s basically what I do.”
