The type of player like Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Themba Zwane has been described as a dying breed in the country, 'Mshishi' has revealed how he is mastering the artistry he learned from Lionel Messi.
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has admitted that he is struggling to find a midfielder to replace Zwane, who is esteemed for the way he is operating in the spaces to create chances and also score goals.
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Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena best described Zwane as a 'space navigator', a rare quality in South African football.
"I've said it so many times, we're going to struggle to find another Themba Zwane because it's a prototype — he's a space navigator," Mokwena once told the media.
"Think of Waze [the navigation app]. Waze says go left, go right but [planning] even a few kilometres ahead of you. The destination is very clear but it's finding detours and finding settings where there are roadblocks.
"So, what I'm saying is he's [Zwane] sensing where the opposition is, his teammates, sensing the strengths and weaknesses of the people he's playing against and navigating the space to find the best possible route to achieving the end product, to find a goal," Mokwena enthused about Zwane.
'Mshishi' has revealed how he developed that skill through watching Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, a habit insisted on by Mokwena.
"What I like about him (Mokwena) as a player you will improve, you will learn a lot. He will tell you, 'Watch this team, watch this player and check how he reacts to situations'," Zwane said on The Pitchside Podcast published on Sundowns' official YouTube Channel.
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"And if you check the guy he said you watch, it's the same situation that you face on the ground. It helps you watch those kinds of players who are at a higher level.
"If you check Messi in the ground, he doesn't do a lot of movements, maybe one step, two step, he checks, that's what I taught myself in the ground, to say I won't do quick movement, I must do short movements and check around what's happening, so that when the ball comes I already know what to do with the ball," he said.
"It's something I'd say I'm mastering, checking what's happening around," he added.
Zwane made it to Bafana Bafana's Africa Cup of Nations squad as the oldest player, 34 and was in the line-up in the opening defeat against Mali.
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