How Thabang Matuludi went from amateur football to Sundowns success

Thabang Matuludi’s rapid rise to Mamelodi Sundowns and the national team has come as no surprise to one of the coaches who helped develop him at amateur level.

Phuti Mohafe first worked with the defender at Dolphins FC in Limpopo’s ABC Motsepe League in 2021, when Matuludi was playing as a winger. The 27-year-old has since won trophies with Sundowns and represented his country at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, although he did not feature in either tournament.

Matuludi joined Sundowns last month from Polokwane City and has made two appearances, winning two trophies. He helped the club beat Al-Ahli Saudi to claim the African-Asian-Pacific Cup in the Fifa Intercontinental Cup before starting in Saturday’s MTN8 final victory over Orlando Pirates.

His development also included work with coaches including Humphrey Sithole, before his move to Polokwane City, where Mohafe later coached him again. His performances as an attacking right-back eventually attracted the attention of former Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos.

At Sundowns, Matuludi faces strong competition for a starting place from Khuliso Mudau, who is injured, Thapelo Morena, Zuko Mdunyelwa and new signing Deano van Rooyen.

“I found him at Dolphins FC in the ABC Motsepe League in 2021. He was recruited by coach Humphrey Sithole, if I am not mistaken,” Mohafe told Sunday Times.

“He played as a winger that season in 2021. We realised he could be a good addition as a right-back and we tried him there, moving Obed Thuto to centre-back, and it worked well for us.

“In the next match, we played him at right-back and he played exceptionally well. We knew we had stabilised our right-back position and from then he never looked back.”

Mohafe said Polokwane City began monitoring Matuludi after he invited their coach, Willy Moloto, to watch him play at Peter Mokaba Stadium. City were then in the NFD and searching for under-23 players.

“I told Moloto I had two quality right-backs and I wanted him to come and watch them,” Mohafe said. “He played well on the day and that is when City started following him closely.”

Matuludi also impressed during the Motsepe play-offs in Mpumalanga. His consistency made him the obvious choice to satisfy the NFD’s U-23 rule, and he joined City at the end of the season.

Mohafe later left Dolphins FC for Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, where he spent seven matches, before joining City and being reunited with Matuludi.

He believes the full-back’s strengths include one-on-one defending, aerial ability, endurance, crossing, combination play, attacking speed, set-piece danger and communication. However, he says Matuludi must improve his recovery runs.

“He is a good marker,” Mohafe said. “I don’t remember him missing even a single header in a game. He’s got a good engine and his endurance capacity is very strong.”

Mohafe hopes Matuludi’s progress encourages players from rural areas. He cited Sundowns and Bafana Bafana players Aubrey Modiba, from Turfloop, and Grant Kekana, from Seshego, as examples, while also recalling Tefu Mashamaite of rural Bochum and Hlompho Kekana of rural Zebediela.

“It is possible to get to the top, it just depends on how much you want it,” he said.

Mohafe added that Matuludi’s attitude had always stood out.

“He is a good listener and I hope it didn’t stop at Polokwane City and with me. I just hope he will keep on listening to coaches that are with him and who are still going to work with him.”