Being a football player looks difficult if one doesn’t have a good financial background but not for the Venda Football Academy winger Rudzani “Zobah” Thobo (28) from Matangari village outside the township of Thohoyandou in Venda .

Thobo developed the love of football at an early age. “I started playing soccer at the age of 8 when i used to play soccer in the dusty streets of Matangari until the age of 12 when i started participating in soccer activities at school,” said Thobo.

Participating in soccer activities at school paved the way for the 28-year old, as local teams such as Matangari Settlers and Matangari High Aims demanded more of his services at the age of 14. Throughout his journey for greener pastures Thobo started playing for Matangari Settlers,went on to play for Makwarela Development FC, Rambuda Young Fighters and Dipeni FC.

His dream of playing for a professional team came into life in 2019 when he joined Venda Football Academy who were playing in the ABC Motsepe League before they acquired the GladAfrica Championship/Motsepe Foundation League status of Cape Umoya United in 2019.

Thobo registered 3 goals for the Venda based outfit and has won the “Venda Football Academy Most Improved Player” award following his stellar performance this past season. Thobo has told Africa Newz that his target for the upcoming season is to score +10 goals with +10 assists and help Venda Football Academy gain promotion.