Teenage Dladla Believes Modern Players Aren’t Given the Same Freedom as They Were!

Teenage Dladla Believes Modern Players Aren’t Given the Same Freedom as They Were! The times have changed, and players are heavily controlled these days, he admits.

Nelson Teenage Dladla is regarded as one of the best players in the history of Kaizer Chiefs. He believes that the freedom that they enjoyed on the pitch is not the same nowadays.

Dladla is seen as an icon of South African football. He was the quintessential township player.

He wore jersey #11, he was a winger, and he had an unlimited box of tricks. This immediately have him cult status, as he helped his team win but he also entertained supporters.

In South Africa, football is not just about goals and winning, it is also about dribbling and entertainment, particularly in the townships.

“People tell me ‘When I look at you, you used to entertain us, we so loved you.” He told the Kaizer Chiefs website.

“The game you played in your era; you were our Messi’. When I look at videos of me playing ‘eish, it’s trouble all the way’.

“People are just falling over at my feet,” Dladla laughs, his eyes lighting up, as he goes down memory lane and delights in showing a clip of him in his element in a Soweto Derby in its heyday at the Orlando Stadium.

“I loved to express myself. Nowadays, players are so controlled and are told what to do.

“But when I played, I knew I was the one who controlled the game. I knew my responsibility if I lost the ball.

“But I also knew my responsibility was to make the supporters happy, and the only way to do that was to win,” he added.

The tricky winger was one of the key players which helped the team rise to prominence in the 1970’s

“I spent my whole career here at Kaizer Chiefs. The players I played with were like family, I learnt a lot from them.

“I became what I became because of Kaizer Chiefs. I’m called ‘Teenage Dladla’ today because of Kaizer Motaung.

“Now, it’s time for me to pay back and to thank him for what he has done for me,” he added.

He is still part of the Kaizer Chiefs family to this day. Teenage Dladla Believes Modern Players Aren’t Given the Same Freedom as They Were!