Africa-Press – Lesotho. Limkokwing University FC striker Lemohang Lintša has been a late blommer receiving his first national team call up at the age of 29 when he thought his career was fast approaching an end.
The lanky forward was picked by Likuena coach Veselin Jelusic shortly after taking over the reins as Likuena coach and has never looked back since making his debut at the 2022 COSAFA Cup in Durban. Lintša said when he was informed about the national team call-up, he thought it was a prank and was reluctant to attend training with Likuena.
“I must say, it was a big shock for me when I was told of the national team call-up looking at my age and that it’s very rare for one playing in the A-Division to receive a call-up for Likuena,” the striker said.
“I didn’t believe it and saw it as a prank until I talked to coach Bafokeng Mohapi who has been working as the assistant coach for Likuena told me that it’s real.
“It was the best feeling in the world because from a young age, it was my dream to play for the national team but at that time, I didn’t see it coming as I was 29-years-old and was still playing in the lower division,” he said.
The Limkokwing striker says it saddens him that his father never got to watch him play having lost his eyesight when Lintša was a five-year-old boy. “My father has been a great motivator since I was a young boy pushing me to play football because he believed it was going to save me from a lot of things and indeed it has,” Lintša said.
“It breaks my heart that he never got to watch me play as he lost his eyesight in 1995 when I was five-years-old, but the good thing is that he gets to hear about all the success I have enjoyed as a footballer.
“Getting selected and finally making the team for the COSAFA Cup last year was the biggest story in my family and for the whole of Mohale’s Hoek as we haven’t had a lot of players from there playing for Likuena,” he said.
The forward admitted that he also had a dream of playing in the Premier League though he feels it will never materialise as he has been given a job at Limkokwing, where he has been playing since he joined them in 2015.
“It was my dream as well to play in the premier league as the biggest league in the country and I have had offers over the year, but unfortunately due to work commitments with Limkokwing, I’m not able to leave for other clubs,” Lintša said.
“But I’m happy with the career that I have had so far especially playing for the national team at such a late stage of my career.
“I have enjoyed a lot of success with Limkokwing which has also brought me individual accolades such as being the top scorer in the league a number of times and recently being in the Nedbank 8 tournament last year,” he said.
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