Motṧoeneng reminisces on her football career
Mosili Motṧoeneng fell in love with football at a very young age playing with boys in the dusty streets of Ha Ramatsa in Likotsi, on the outskirts of Maseru.But little did she know that a career in football would take her to play in a foreign league as well as representing her country at the highest level of women’s football in the continent.
The 26-year-old, who has been playing her football at Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies after impressing their coach while playing for the Lesotho Senior Women’s national team in 2017, is now preparing to relocate to Durban after the status of her team was bought by Royal AM.
“Football was my first love and continues to be. I started at a very young playing with boys in my village, but with interruptions here and there as I had to attend to house chores as a girl,” Motṧoeneng says.
“The breakthrough to go and play in South Africa came after I received my first national team call-up, where we went to play Banyana Banyana in Bloemfontein, and despite being on the losing side, the Celtic coach was impressed with what he saw.”
Before moving to South Africa, Motṧoeneng career saw a lot of development coming through the ranks playing for Thetsane High School ladies and at Kick4Life Ladies team.
“My career started to blossom when I arrived at Thetsane High School because they had a female’s team that participated in different competitions. We were crowned champions of Lesotho Institutions Sport Association (LISA) annual national ball games in 2012 and 2014 respectively,” she recalls.
“I also made the Maseru squad in 2011 for the Vision 2020 games and that opened doors for me to make a move and join Kick4Life Ladies team, which was campaigning in the Lesotho Football Association’s Women Super league.
“I joined the team playing as an attacking midfielder, but the coach felt I could do better as right back and that’s how I was converted to being a wingback,” she says.
Motṧoeneng, who is now one of the senior players in the Mehalalitoe squad, says donning the colours of her country was a true come.
“It was a dream come true for me to don the national team colours because it’s not every player that gets an opportunity to play for their country at the highest level of international football,” the Mehalalitoe star says.
“Of course, it also helped me secure a move to Celtic because I was spotted playing for Mehalalitoe in 2017.
“It was a very proud moment for me going to play in South Africa because Lesotho at that time, if my memory serves me well, had only Boitumelo ‘Queen’ Rabale and Senate Letsie as the only female players that were playing their football outside the country,” she said.
With Celtic having recently sold its status to Royal AM, the Mehalalitoe defender is looking forward to writing a new chapter of her career in the South African Hollywoodbets league.
“Yes, I’m still with the club and looking forward to a new chapter with the changes that have taken place at the club,” Motṧoeneng
“The goal is to succeed and make a name for myself because I believe it can help to open doors for other female players with same ambitions as me to play in South Africa.
The Mehalalitoe wingback says she models her game on players such as Reece James of Chelsea and recently departed Real Madrid captain-Marcelo, while her role model in Lesotho is Makobo ‘KB’ Kepa, who had a long career with the women’s national team and is now the assistant coach.
“I enjoy watching James of Chelsea and Marcelo during his time at Real Madrid because they play the same position as me and here at home it has always been coach Kepa, who used to play for the national team before she retired,” she concludes.
