Nike’s
The Chance Finalist, 16 year old Melusi Zulu from Soweto signed a dream deal
with the Mamelodi Sundowns.
Surpassing
5,000 local and 100,000 international hopefuls, Melusi Zulu, along with fellow
South African finalists Charlie Tsotetsi and Nicholas Mynhardt, made it through
to the Top 100 of Nike’s The Chance global football competition hosted in
Barcelona this August.
Zulu,
who made it through to the final 16 of the competition, is the second of the
three boys to sign with a PSL club.
Mynhardt, the 20-year-old striker from Johannesburg, secured a three
year contract with the Kaizer Chiefs this September.
Nike’s
The Chance is a grassroots initiative that aims to fast track young football
talent into professional structures around the globe. The competition continues
to provide local South African boys with an international platform at the
highest level, exposing them to some of the top talent scouts from around the
world and in South Africa.
Johan
Neeskens, The Chance Head Scout and Sundowns Manager said, “Not too many
footballers have the opportunity to be a part of something like Nike’s The
Chance global football talent search. I’m happy for the club that Melusi
decided to come to Mamelodi Sundowns. He has a lot of qualities, especially for
his age and I think he can only get better.”
Zulu
who is thrilled about the prospect of playing professionally, thanked Nike and
Sundowns for the opportunity and promised to work hard and give 100% percent.
Meanwhile,
Charlie Tsotetsi from Heidelburg, also a top 16 finalist, will embark on a
once-in-a-lifetime world tour from January 2013, travelling to the United
States, Europe and the United Kingdom, to compete against some of the most
celebrated junior football academies in the world including United States
Soccer Federation Youth Academy, Juventus Youth Academy and Manchester United
Youth Academy, respectively.
During
the tour, Charlie’s opportunity at turning professional will be accelerated as
scouts frequent these academies to identify new talent.
In
2011, Reyaad Pieterse and Jonathon King were selected in the first The Chance
trial hosted in London. They won a
year-long contract at the Nike Academy, playing against the best academy teams
in the world. Pieterse recently signed a
professional contract with Shamrock Rovers FC in Ireland.
