Dingizwe Gwala

Dingizwe Gwala

Contributor

Biography: The journalism bug bit me in 2014 when I was got my first gig as a sports columnist for a youth-focused publication called The Daily Vox. From there, I never looked back as I spent some time writing about the South African political landscape before football came calling. I've spent close to a decade with one of the leading newspapers in the country before joining GOAL, where I serve a senior contributor.

My Football Story: In high school, I had so many nicknames. Bastian Schweinsteiger. Paul Scholes. Michael Ballack. Zinedine Zidane. This should give you an indication of how talented I was, or maybe I was the better of the bad bunch of ambitious high school footballer-wannbes. As soon as I realized I was not that good, I turned my back on the playing field and opted for a seat in the stands as a writer. The view is a lot better from there, anyway.

Areas of Expertise:

PSL (South African domestic league)

PSL local cup competitions

CAF Champions League

CAF Confederation Cup

Africa Cup of Nations

Favourite football memory: This one is simple. My football idol is Ronaldinho. Everything that you see Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta, Frank Lampard, and ever else you can think of - Ronaldinho did it first. And that is why he is my football memory. He is football himself.

All-Time Best XI:

GK - Itumeleng Khune

RB - Phillipp Lahm

CB - Mbulelo Mabizela

CB - Paolo Maldini

LB - Marcelo

CDM - Sergio Busquets

CM - Xavi

CAM - Cesc Fabregas

RF - Lionel Messi

ST - Cristiano Ronaldo

LF - Ronaldinho

Articles by Dingizwe Gwala