Thembinkosi Lorch is charmed by the warm welcome he received from Mamelodi Sundowns supporters when he jumped ship from DStv Premiership rivals Orlando Pirates.
For years, Lorch has been the darling of Pirates supporters, and he has the privilege of being one of the select few Premier Soccer League players who has a song composed in their honour.
Players like Thuso Phala and Benni McCarthy. Amapiano pioneers Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa coined the famous and catchy jam, titled Lorch.
Lorch still holds the status of being a fan favourite among the Masandawana faithful, even though his acquisition is reported to have caused a rift between Downs’ sporting director Flemming Berg, and former Sundowns mentor Rulani Mokwena.
Mokwena admitted to having a close relationship with Lorch, which is why the former took the risk of luring the injury-prone attacker from the Buccaneers.
The 30-year-old’s stats at Pirates are not too enticing, as he made 75 DStv Premiership appearances in the last five seasons with Bucs and only produced 14 assists and netted four himself.
"I came to Sundowns knowing that I want to win the league and CAF Champions League."
Lorch is currently recovering from an injury with images showing the attacker wearing a moon boot that could see him miss the club’s pre-season camp believed to held in Austria. However, Lorch is pleased to be mentioned among the fan-favourites at Sundowns.
“I am happy to see that people love me and it motivates me to work harder and make the fans happy,” Lorch said on The Pitchside Podcast.
“One thing I am proud of is that I am still relevant and I work hard and I am happy to be at Sundowns. It is a team that I’ve always loved from far,” Lorch added.
The Brazilians will once again represent South Africa in next season’s Champions League for the 10th campaign running, which is part of the reasons Lorch was keen to join the 2016 champions.
“I am happy (for winning the league) but I came to Sundowns knowing that I want to win the league and CAF Champions League. The team is always competing in the Champions League every season,” Lorch explained.
“When I was at Pirates, I was following the guys at Sundowns and how they do things, the brotherhood they have, and the way they love each other. I saw myself being part of that, so it was easy to jell with the gents when I joined the team,” the former Bucs star concluded.
Thembinkosi Lorch makes a promise to the Yellow Nation. #AfriSports #Sundowns #Lorch pic.twitter.com/f8xlGP4eFW
— AfriSports (@AfriSports_ZA) July 8, 2024
