Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Fanie Raludzingana has stated that the recently ended 2023/24 DStv Diski Challenge campaign was his best season despite the club failing to win the title.
Raludzingana is among the few players who played all 30 matches of the recently ended season. He was among the top performers for Sundowns as he kept 15 clean sheets, falling behind Stellenbosch by a point in the title race.
Throughout the season, the 22-year-old goalkeeper also had a chance to test himself with the best as he was also training with Sundowns senior side.
“Training with the first team is always a privilege because you get to watch your role models and to learn from them,” Raludzingana told the club website.
“Whenever I was given a chance to go and train with them, I got to learn a lot of things. Goalkeepers such as Jody February, Ronwen Williams, Denis Onyango and Reyaad Pieterse were willing to answer all my questions to the best of their knowledge and offered advice when they could. Being exposed to players of their calibre helped me learn a lot from them.”
On his impressive season, Raludzingana said he was happy with the improvement.
“My stats made me feel good. Strikers dream of scoring goals and we dream of conceding less, keeping the most clean sheets.
“Seeing that there was improvement in my performances made me proud, because it wasn’t an easy season. We saw the hard work we would put during training manifest in the pitch in almost all the games, especially the second half of the season. I can confidently say that this was my best season in the DDC.”
The ambitious goalkeeper said some of his best moments in the DDC campaign that recently ended were beating Orlando Pirates and Moroka Swallows.
“I have two highlights from this season. The first one was when we won 1-0 against Orlando Pirates in the second leg. It was a much-needed victory because we lost against them in the first leg, so we were looking to redeem ourselves, which I think we did. Seeing how happy the supporters, the coaches and my teammates were, felt good.
He added: "The second highlight was the last game of the season against Swallows. Looking at the number of goals we had to score when no one believed we could do it and actually doing it, was a great way to end the season.”
Raludzingana said his focus shifts to either getting a Premier Soccer League or First Division contract for next season.