Johannesburg - Nomvula Kgoale is enjoying spending time with her family after taking a sabbatical from football to focus on her mental health post Banyana’s Wafcon success.
After a stint with the University of the Western Cape Ladies’ team, Kgoale has spent most of her career abroad, including in the US and most recently in Spain. But her exploits were duly rewarded early this year when she made Banyana’s final squad for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco.
Kgoale grabbed that opportunity with both hands. She and her teammates qualified for the 2023 Fifa World Cup and won their first African crown. Nevertheless, he 26-year-old has conceded that all the travelling that she’s done in the last few years took a toll on her mental health.
“Life has been amazing because I am spending a lot of time with my family. And that’s something I’ve been longing for, for many years,” Kgoale explained.
“As you know, professional athletes travel a lot. I don’t know whether players talk about it, but I’ve been taking care of my mental health in recent months.
💋❤️🤌🏾 Congratulations to Copperbelt Ladies Team for being crowned as the 2022 @SasolLeague @SasolSA Champions. 💄💋 What a privilege to share a moment with you all. @Banyana_Banyana 🇿🇦 @Momentum_za pic.twitter.com/kL3FfDeXSi
— Nomvula “LipstickLady” Kgoale (@NomvulaKgoale) October 24, 2022
“That decision came after Wafcon. I had signed a contract at the end of last year, going to Europe, coming back and going to Wafcon was mentally taxing.
“There were a lot of expectations. But I am a human being and not a robot. So I decided that after winning the cup I had to take a break.”
Kgoale’s triumph at Wafcon wasn’t only helping the national team bag the African crown but she also drew the football fraternity to her love for lipstick.
And now she’s widely known as the ‘Lipstick Lady’ while there've been calls for cosmetic brands to partner up with her. But did that come into fruition?
“Let the people decide and see it. I am not a person who names things and says I have a brand,” said Kgoale, while wearing a ‘Lipstick Lady’ branded coat.
“I just do what I want to do. To see people putting on lipstick when they are playing now, that’s amazing. If they want a t-shirt or billboard, let's do it.
“As I am wearing this t-shirt slash jacket, I love how it looks. So I hope that if someone else loves it, I’ll make it a point that it’s available for them as well.”
While not sure when she’ll get back to the pitch, Kgoale followed Banyana's draw for the World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand.
Desiree Ellis’ team are in Group G alongside Sweden, Italy and Argentina. But what does Kgoale think of their opponents?
“The girls usually say the ball is rolling. It could go either way. We know those countries are good. But in the end, it’s the work you put in,” Kgoale said.
“We won Wafcon because we believed we could, not because it was Nigeria that won Wafcon on numerous occasions. We didn’t care about that though.”
Kgoale admitted that they are eager to improve on their group stage exit in France 2019, especially after being crowned the Queens of African Football.