Maboe Opens Up On Injury Rehabilitation

Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Lebohang Maboe has been on the road to recovery after picking up a severe knee injury ahead of the 2021/22 season. Team doctor Carl Tabane confirmed that the injury would take between six to nine months to heal.

Maboe has been a mainstay in the midfield for a number of years and was a prominent figure last season on the way to securing the first-ever DStv Premiership. Speaking on his time away from the pitch, Lebogang got candid on the challenges he has faced:

“It’s really not easy having to deal with a long term injury, [going] from being active your whole life, preparing for camps and for games to just sitting at home and watching the team play. You always wanna be involved in the sessions and in the games.”

“Keeping myself motivated the whole time hasn’t been easy. One of the things I have learned is to take it one day at a time, you don’t really know what that means until you have to be out for [6 months]. [After the operation] you can’t do some of the things you do on a daily basis, for example getting in and out of bed – you can’t do that on your own so I had to rely on my family to help me.

“With regards to rehab it can also be frustrating, you can wake up one day and the knee might not be responding as well as the other days. As much as you want to push yourself, there’s nothing you can do, you just have to wait for the knee to heal.”

Maboe, who has been capped for Bafana Bafana, emphasised the importance of remaining mentally strong during this time and expressed his gratitude to all those who have been supporting him as he makes his way back:

“At the same time it’s important to be mentally strong with such an injury that keeps you out for the most part of the season, I just had to keep myself motivated. It’s a process that at first I wasn’t enjoying but then I told myself I have to enjoy it, with the end goal in mind.”

“I know I am usually an impatient person but with this injury I have learned to be patient, I’ve had to pace myself. I’ve also had to keep myself sane by reading books, by watching documentaries on some of the sports people who have been through the same injury as me – just seeing how their journeys have been, made me realise that I am going to be okay.”

“I am just so grateful to God that after struggling for so long I can walk again, I can jog. I’m just glad that I’ve been able to enjoy the journey and I can’t wait to join the team again and be back doing what I love. I know that all the tension is really going to produce greatness out of me.”

“I also want to thank the Physios and everyone who checked up on me, who sent me messages wishing me well. Having my family around to support me and help [was good]. You know, in the world we live in now it’s very tough and we don’t always have our loved ones with us, so I am just so grateful that I got to spend time with my loved ones.”