‘We are a bunch of winners’

KICK OFF: How has it been playing football in empty stadiums for the past year?

Rivaldo Coetzee: It has been a new experience, but it has meant we hear instructions clearer and communication is clearer. It took a bit of adjusting but we are now able to motivate ourselves without supporters. But fans remain important, especially to us who are role models, so we have to take the lead in wearing masks and sanitising.

How have you grown in your career to this point as you head into your fifth season at Sundowns?

I have matured a lot by being here, considering that I have been away from home since I was 14, which prepared me for the bigger stages. Off the field I have a baby now, along with two properties in my name, which are things that I couldn’t do while I was at Ajax Cape Town. In as much as this is my fifth season, I feel like I haven’t contributed as much as I would have liked, but I’m hoping to continue from where we left off last season and look