SoccerClub takes a look at 10 things you might not have known about Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena.

1) He is not related to the former Bafana Bafana midfielder of the same name, who won 28 caps between 2001 and 2004, and featured at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The ‘original’ Teboho Mokoena held the record for the fastest Bafana Bafana goal at 40 seconds, which was recently beaten by Iqraam Rayners (31 seconds).

2) Mokoena did have a professional footballer for a father, though. Alexis Motaung played for Hellenic and QwaQwa Stars (later Free State Stars). He was severely injured in a car accident in 2007 and passed away three years later. Mokoena is an only child with no siblings.

3) Mokoena idolised former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Patrick Mbuthu growing up. The latter also hailed from the same Free State town of Bethlehem as the current Sundowns star. Mbuthu also played for QwaQwa Stars and Manning Rangers, and won a single Bafana cap in 2002.

4) Mokoena was spotted by a schoolteacher at the Bodikela Junior Secondary School in Bethlehem. Charles Molefe was the football coach of the school and immediately saw he had a player with great potential on his hands. He pushed to get him into the Harmony Sports Academy where he played with current Sundowns teammate Sipho Mbule.

5) While at Harmony he was scouted by SuperSport United and would go on to captain the Under-19 side at the club. He was given his first team debut at Matsatsantsa by then coach Stuart Baxter. He came on for the final eight minutes of a 4–1 Check out this spectacular goal from Teboho Mokoena against his former side! victory over Highlands Park in October 2016. He made his first start against KwaDukuza United in the Nedbank Cup last-16 in April 2017.

6) His first professional goal came in the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup when he netted in a 2–2 draw with TP Mazembe in the pool stage. SuperSport would go on to lose the final to the same DR Congo opponents that year.

7) Mokoena started out with the number 28 jersey, which he wore for five seasons at SuperSport, before he switched to the number four. He wore the number 26 in his first season at Sundowns in 2021/22, but took that from Grant Kekana, who moved to the number 20.

8) Mokoena was handed his Bafana Bafana debut by new national team coach Baxter in an African Nations Championship qualifier against Botswana in 2017, and first played for the full side in March 2018 in a 2–0 friendly win over Zambia. His first international goal, in his third cap, was part of history as he scored in Bafana’s 6–0 victory over Seychelles, their biggest-ever win in international football.

9) Mokoena admits he is a fan of Manchester City star Rodri, how the midfielder is able to act as both a defensive shield for his back four and also score goals and be a creator for the English champions.

10) Mokoena has so far won three DStv Premiership titles, the African Super League, two Nedbank Cups (2017 & 2022) and two MTN8s (2017 & 2019). He was also named South African Footballer of the Year in 2022/23.