Teko Modise delivers a message to the new generation of football!

Former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns star gives advice to the new generation.

Teko Modise delivers a message to the new generation of football!

As the South African football season prepares to pause for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, a voice of experience has emerged with a crucial lesson for the modern player. Teko Modise, a legend whose career glitters with PSL titles and a CAF Champions League medal, has drawn back the curtain on the simple, yet demanding, secret that safeguarded his longevity on the pitch.

In an era where players are navigating a congested calendar, Modise’s message is timely. His remarkable career, spanning 348 club games with minimal major injuries, stands as a powerful testament to his methods. He argues that at this critical juncture, a player's most significant contribution might not always be on the match day team sheet, but in the disciplined, extra work done behind the scenes to stay on it.

“When we speak of something as former footballers, most of the time we are speaking directly to the footballers that are playing right now,” Modise stated on a recent show, anticipating the skepticism of a new generation. “Often they feel we speak of something we have never done. Now, me, I’ve never been the lazy player, right? Unfortunately, we could not record and post things like players today. But we were doing lots of extra training.”

He painted a vivid picture of this dedication, recalling sessions that went far beyond the mandatory. His philosophy was rooted in relentless, specific repetition, a habit he shared with other greats of his time.

“We asked your Denis Onyango to stay behind so we could practice things like penalties. I wanted to do more. I would still go to the same side just to train my brain that I won’t miss."

While he admits to a distaste for the gym, he came to understand its purpose. The reward for this unwavering commitment was a career remarkably free from long-term layoffs, a fact he notes with a mix of pride and fortune, even using his native tongue to emphasize it: “I can say this, in all my career, azang ka limala [I never really suffered serious injuries]."

He concluded with a powerful observation, linking this culture of extra training directly to career sustainability and success, creating a blueprint that separated the enduring from the ephemeral.

“I never really [was] out of the game because I’m injured. Unfortunately, that’s how fortunate I was. It was only knocks. It was also because I was training a little bit harder. I remember people that were known to do all those extra trainings, it was either, Mshishi [Themba Zwane] and Hlompho [Kekana]. You’d see that in the games. And then some other guys in the team started doing extras. And then the other guys who did not do it started falling off [with injuries].”