CAPE TOWN - Honesty is a crucial trait in the make-up of a successful footballer.
Far too often players tend to come off the field satisfied they’ve done enough when, in truth, the performance left a lot to be desired. It’s critical that a footballer is frank when looking inward, that he always challenges himself, and that he is never content with what he has delivered. As an individual, he should always be setting higher standards for himself.
Ajax Cape Town’s Mosa Lebusa is such a player - and he gave ample evidence of this admirable quality when he produced a towering performance in his side’s 1-1 draw with Kaizer Chiefs at the Athlone Stadium on Saturday.
In the build-up to the match, in a candid interview, Lebusa revealed his emotions in a blunt, honest manner. While the 24-year-old left-back acknowledged the Ajax side had been a bit inconsistent, he was adamant that he, as an individual, needed to raise his game. He admitted he wasn’t happy with his own performances and that, if all the players, himself included, brought more consistency to their own games, then the team would benefit.
And, through the honesty of his introspection, Lebusa dug deep to finally find the form that made him one of the most admired and sought-after defenders in the PSL.
In short, he was simply brilliant against a smooth attacking side like Chiefs. Time after time, he made some useful interceptions and vital tackles to prevent his team from being opened up.
Not only that, with regular captain Travis Graham suspended for the fixture, Lebusa was handed the armband by coach Stanley Menzo - and the player led from the front, the quintessential “Braveheart”, as Ajax narrowly failed to pull off the victory.
Lebusa has come a long way since he hoofed a ball around the streets of Welkom in the Free State.
Scouted by Ajax, he arrived in the Mother City at the age of 16 to join the Cape club’s successful youth academy. By 2012, when he made his official debut for the PSL squad, it was against no less a team than English giants Manchester United in a friendly.
He was, subsequently, in an out of the team, especially with Ajax having a glut of left-backs available at the time, but it was the arrival of Roger de Sa as coach in 2014 that elevated Lebusa. The affable, soft-spoken player was always among the first names on the team sheet during De Sa’s tenure, and he soon matured into a top-class defender.
At the weekend, he received the man of the match award for his outstanding performance against Chiefs - but, in his typical, self-effacing attitude, Lebusa was still not happy.
“I still believe it could be better,” he said. “It’s always nice to get man of the match awards, but it would have meant a lot more if we had won the game.
“It was a tough game against a very good team. We did well as a team. We would have, obviously, preferred all three points, but we’ll take the point.”
Next up for Ajax, and Lebusa, is another difficult encounter when they head for Atteridgeville to take on SuperSport United on Saturday night. “It’s another tough, tough fixture,” said the consummate Ajax left-back.
“It’s about the points for us, nothing else But, I guess, for them, it’s exactly the same. But we have been working hard, we are improving, and we’ll give SuperSport a go on the night.”