JOHANNESBURG - South Africa women’s footballer Thembi Kgatlana has performed admirably this season in Spain with 10 goals in the Primera Division for her club SD Eibar.
The 24-year-old Kgatlana joined Eibar from SL Benfica in July last year and has already taken her goal tally into double digits from just 20 appearances.
ALSO READ: Kgatlana’s path similar to McCarthy
“Each match I am more confident and more focused and ready to play. I want to be a team player, that is a side of my game that I have been wanting to grow,” Kgatlana told The COSAFA Show.
“For me it is not just the goals that I score, but the assists that I get the crucial penalties that I win for the club. I feel I am ticking that aspect of being a team player and getting better.”
Kgatlana said living in a small town suits her well.
Thembi Kgatlana scoring against Real Madrid 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦⚽️👌![CDATA[]]>🏽pic.twitter.com/18dsP5y1i6
— Joe Crann (@YesWeCrann) November 8, 2020
“It is a small city, everyone is fanatical about the club because it is the only one here. It is not like Soweto where you have Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Swallows, here there is just one team.
ALSO READ: Banyana coach Ellis over the moon with overseas interest in SA players
“Everywhere you walk in the city, people in their homes, on school bags for kids, they are flying the flag of Eibar.”
The standard of football in the Spanish League is the highest she has ever experienced, explains Kgatlana.
VIDEO 📽️@Kgatlanathe1st turns defenders inside out to open the scoring for SD Eibar
— World in Motion - Women (@WIMwomen) March 16, 2021
El Tigre 🐯 continues to prowl! pic.twitter.com/MJLvYBu0Yw
“Spain is more about technique and intelligence. I have been in the US, which is a bit of both, technique and experience. About 80 to 90 percent of the girls that play for the US national team play in the NWSL [National Women’s Soccer League] so it makes it one of the strongest leagues in the world.
“Like I said, they are big on technique and video analysis, that kind of thing. We know that women’s football is grown and changing, so I also went to China more or less on the back of that. There it was more about physicality.”
“I would like to challenge myself to continue being an ambassador on the field for all African players, that they may be able to see opportunities that they have.” - @Banyana_Banyana international, @Kgatlanathe1st #IWD2021 pic.twitter.com/kG57t6CodS
— gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) March 8, 2021
African News Agency (ANA)