Rampant Mamelodi Sundowns are well on their way to earn a record sixth consecutive DStv Premiership crown following their emphatic 5-1 victory against Royal AM at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday.However, after scoring five goals and with 13 minutes on the clock remaining, head coach Rhulani Mokwena made a substitute that caught everyone's attention.
The club's mentor replaced fan favourite and veteran captain, Themba Zwane, with 16-year-old Siyabonga Mabena, giving the teenager a taste of South African top-flight football.A special debut for a young 16-year-old Siyabonga Mabena!??
https://t.co/ZcMVHzrbXCA huge moment for 16-year-old Siyabonga Mabena who comes on for his Sundowns debut ??He's currently in grade 10 ????
pic.twitter.com/hE0jezYsXOThe grade 10 pupil, who attends Clapham High School in Queenswood, Pretoria, ended the match with 19 minutes under his belt in his senior debut.He was born 18 February 2007.It has been an incredible few days for Mabena as he is in line to feature for South Africa at the U17 Africa Cup of Nations.The former School of Excellence attack-minded player was named in the 30-man preliminary squad to be part of the under-17 national side.Duncan Crowie, under-17 head coach, will go into camp early next month and cut down his squad to 23 players before boarding an airplane to participate in the tournament in Algeria.