Mamelodi Sundowns winger Thapelo Maseko is battling to come to terms with his lack of game time at the club.
Maseko, 21, has found the going tough at Chloorkop since he arrived there in 2023.
From a player who showed so much promise at SuperSport United, the Vaal-born forward now has to contend with playing second fiddle to other players at Sundowns. And he’s not taking it well.
“I don’t know when it started, but lately it’s like the fire in me is fading. I still train like my life depends on it, still push through every tired muscle, mental battle, but inside it feels empty,” he wrote on his Instagram account.
Maseko played just 14 games last season and to make matters worse, he was left out of the squad that travelled to the United States of America (USA) for the FIFA Club World Cup. His future with the club remains uncertain, with persistent reports suggesting he could be loaned out.
“The game that once lit up my soul now feels different, heavier, colder. It’s a strange kind of pain, giving everything you have yet feeling unseen. You tell yourself to keep going, but each day chips away at you. Your confidence starts to crumble, your joy fades, and the person you used to be feels like a memory you can’t reach anymore,” he continued.
He was a part of the Bafana Bafana squad that secured a bronze medal at the last Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), but he’s far down pecking order now, and he’s hoping to bounce back.
“The hunger, the excitement, the love for the grind… they’ve all been slipping away piece by piece, now hope feels like something far off in the distance and I’m left wondering if I’d ever get to that place again, this is what it’s like to lose your spark and the hardest part is still showing up every single day, hoping you’ll find it again.”
