How South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana’s confidence leads to goals

In this My Game In My Words series, The Athletic builds toward the Women’s World Cup by talking to leading players around the world to find out how they think about football, why they play the way they do and to reflect — through looking back at their key career moments — on their achievements so far. 

You have probably never met someone more confident than Racing Louisville and South Africa forward Thembi Kgatlana. And why shouldn’t she be confident in herself? Kgatlana pursued her footballing dreams as a child, sometimes entirely by herself, and earned roster spots on clubs around the globe and on the South Africa national team. Now she’s going to the World Cup. These are great reasons to be confident.

Advertisement

In interviews, Kgatlana gives the impression that she had to believe in herself, because if she didn’t, then who would? In her second children’s book, “ Girls Don’t Do That ,” she details her journey through soccer, including interactions with parents who were scared for her future, and whose fear manifested in trying to tell her to quit soccer and focus on school. 

“I got in trouble so many times, for wanting to be a soccer player,” Kgatlana said.

Now she and Banyana Banyana will take on Sweden, Italy, and Argentina in Group G of the Women’s World Cup. 

Kgatlana spoke to The Athletic in May while she was still training with club side Racing Louisville; most recently she highlighted the national team’s struggles with their federation before their home send-off game against Botswana. As reported by SABC Sport , the players felt that the venue, Tsakane Stadium, was inadequate and unsafe, that they had not had opponents selected that would have helped them prepare for the World Cup, and perhaps