Moorosi Tsiane
Many see him as the natural replacement for Bushy Moletsane (31) and 19-year-old Teboho ‘Scorpy’ Lekhooa says the prospect of taking over from the iconic Lioli midfielder does not intimidate him.
Lekhooa has been a marvel to watch in the Number 8 position for the Teyateyaneng-based outfit—a rather rapid progression for a youth who was still with the team’s development side, Hunters FC, only four seasons ago.
Born in Ha Thamae in Maseru, Lekhooa told the Sunday Express he could not have hoped for a better career as he basks in the glamour of being part of Tse Nala.
“I was born in Lower Thamae and it was not the safest place to grow up as a child. I saw some of my friends getting involved in crime, but I made a decision I would not follow that path, hence my career choice, football, of which I have been very serious about since 2007.
“I started at Thamae United and a year later, joined Hunters, culminating in my graduation into Lioli two seasons ago,” Lekhooa said.
Asked if he believed he was the right person to fill Moletsane’s shoes, Lekhooa was clear he had the talent to take over from his revered teammate should he eventually retire.
“Bushy has been a role model to me, and I have learnt a lot from him since I came here. I am more than ready to take over from him should he retire one day, because like I said, I have learnt so much just from being his teammate,” said Lekhooa, who is the second born in a family of four siblings, and went to Roma Primary School and then Maseru and Lesia High schools.
Playing for Lioli, the midfielder said, was “Christmas that came early” for him as he never expected to make it one of Lesotho’s biggest sides at such an early age. Lekhooa made his Lioli debut in the 2013/14 season, when he was just 17 years of age.
“At first, football was just a sport for me. It was something I just did just to stay out of trouble, but I suddenly realised I really loved the game and my sudden promotion to Lioli from Hunters reinforced my self-belief. But I must admit the promotion came earlier than I expected and I still remember there were only a few players of my age in the premier league then,” he said.
“I always dreamt of playing in the premier league with any team and I was so happy to finally make it with a team as big as Lioli.”
With two premier league titles, one Top8 and one Top 4 title, to his name, among other accolades, Lekhooa could not have asked for a better start to his soccer career.
“Since I joined this team, we have won several accolades and all I can say is it has been due to team-work. We have a common understanding here and I think that is one of the reasons why we are such a force; we are just one big family with the same goals of bringing success to TY.”
Yet Lekhooa says making the Lioli line-up is not for the faint-hearted.
“It is not easy to break into such a star-studded side even if you are a veteran, but I did it when I was just a boy just enjoying his game. Maybe I was a bit lucky because at that time I broke into the first eleven, the team was struggling a bit due to indiscipline among some senior players, so it made things a bit easy for me,” he said.
A heavily supported team like Lioli comes with so much pressure, but Lekhooa says he has been able to cope so far.
“You need to be here to appreciate how big a brand Lioli is. The team has so many supporters who expect the players to be exceptional and win a trophy each season. I would be lying if I said I didn’t expect to be under pressure when I joined the team, so I used that as a motivator, and I am happy to say I am enjoying my time here and hope I can be a better player going forward.
“It was a good feeling to win the league title again this past season after losing it to our rivals Bantu in 2013/14. Although I did not have a good season because of injuries especially in the second round, I am still happy with my contribution to the team. I have also grown as a player although I know I still have a lot to learn because I am a youngster.”
Lekhooa also said joining Lioli had earned him national recognition as he was called up into the under-17 side in 2011.
“Joining Lioli opened many doors for me, I must say, because in 2011, I received a call-up into the national under-17 team that was playing in the African Youth Championship qualifiers. Unfortunately, we were beaten by Cameroon and failed to make it to the finals.
“However, I was then called into the under-20 team and to my surprise, they made me captain of the side, as we represented our country in the 2013 Cosafa tournament Lesotho hosted. Although we did not win the tournament, it was a proud moment for me because I had proved once more that I was good enough for national colours.”
Although Lekhooa is yet to make his senior debut, he was called into the Likuena ‘B’ team, which he captained against South Africa in a friendly last weekend at Setsoto Stadium.
Lekhooa said he was motivated by the call-up, adding he hopes to make it into the senior team and show what he is capable of.
“It is every player’s dream to play for his national team, and the fact that I was not called into the Likuena side, which went to the ongoing Cosafa tournament in South Africa, did not demotivate me because I was then drafted into the B side. I was the captain of that team which drew 1-all against Bafana Bafana last weekend, and the fact that the selectors have noticed my potential, makes me happy. My time will come and I will continue working hard to ensure I make it into the senior team.”
Lekhooa also said he hoped to join clubs outside the country.
“Like I said, I am young and still have time to play outside the country, hence my hard work and dedication to this game.”
However, the midfielder told the Sunday Express he was worried about the amateur level of local football.
“Some of our players work in the industries and go for training once a day and sometimes even arrive late for sessions because they have to use public transport, yet we are expected to compete against people who live football; who are professionals. Our league must be professionalised if we are to compete against the best in the world. The administrators, at both club and national level, must look for sponsorship so that we can be able to concentrate on football alone without bothering about looking for other jobs to sustain ourselves.”
Lekhooa, who said he has “a long way” to go before he becomes the player he wants to be, noted he also needs to improve himself academically.
“I completed my COSC in 2013 and did not do that well so I still want to go back to school and get better grades. My ultimate aim is to study either sports science or sports administration so that I can have a career once my playing days are over.”