Siphiwe Tshabalala’s face lights up whenever he talks about Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. He got to meet the retired Frenchman before the start of the new season at Naturena and it’s exactly the type of motivation he needed to psych himself up for what’s arguably going to be his most difficult season in his 10-and-a-half-year stay with Amakhosi. KICK OFF’s Tshepang Mailwane caught up with the veteran to find out how they will turn things around at the Glamour Boys.
Even at the age of 32, with a long list of accolades, “Shabba” is still inspired to achieve more in his career – the same way Henry did at English Premier League club Arsenal and later at Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona.
Tshabalala, like the World Cup winning Henry, is a winner but what’s even more special about him is that he has never walked around thinking he was a star or that he was bigger than the Chiefs brand. It never ends well for anyone who does.
You’d just have to go back to the Carling Black Label Cup against Orlando Pirates in July when, about an hour before the match, Tshabalala waved and acknowledged the Amakhosi supporters seated all around the FNB Stadium during the traditional pitch inspection, while some of his teammates had their headphones on listening to music and others took “selfies”. He was not even part of the match day squad because of injury, but he felt it necessary to go out with the team on the pitch to greet supporters, as if to say “we will bounce back this season”.
At the Chiefs awards in May, Tshabalala accepted his player of the season gong and made a promise to chairman Kaizer Motaung that they would deliver a title this season. He’s like the Steven Gerrard of Kaizer Chiefs – he is all about representing the name in front of the jersey.
It’s one of the many reasons he is adored by the Amakhosi faithful, because he is not just a Chiefs player, but a die-hard fan who feels the pain of the club’s followers when things are not going well.
“Playing football is a special gift and you don’t just play football for the fun of it. You must get there,make a name for yourself, you must win trophies with the club and then there’s individual awards. But most importantly, you must touch lives. I want to have an impact, without even talking.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2017-Ausgabe von Kickoff.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2017-Ausgabe von Kickoff.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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The Best Of South Africa's Clasico
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‘There is more coming'
The arrival of German coach Josef Zinnbauer at Orlando Pirates has coincided with Gabadinho Mhango suddenly raising his performance. His seven goals in Zinnbauer’s first four matches have elevated him to double figures already with a loud shout in the top scorers’ award chase. As Malawi’s top export, Mhango knows he is representing many back home, and thus carries the desire to aim high. He spoke to KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo, revealing he believes there is more coming from him.
‘I should have won 12 times'
Samuel Eto’o announced his retirement from professional football in 2019 and leaves behind a legacy that many consider sees him as the greatest African footballer of all time with 18 major titles won for club and country. KICK OFF’s Lorenz Kohler sat down with the four-time CAF African Player of the Year at the Duqesa de Cardona hotel in Barcelona before El Clasico to find out his role in the Castle Lager Africa Fives project and look back on an iconic career that started back in 1997.
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Should He Stay Or Should He Go?
Three months after taking over Orlando Pirates, Rhulani Mokwena hasn’t elevated the club to where the fans expected. This has naturally raised questions about whether it was premature to hand him the job. KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo investigates Mokwena’s appointment, tenure and what could possibly be the way forward.
‘We Know How To Win The League'
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Chiefs' Missing Link
Kaizer Chiefs’ excellent start to the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League season has been a great team effort, but there is one man who stands out head and shoulders above the rest as the catalyst for their upturn in fortunes. Serbian striker Samir Nurkovic was a little-known journeyman forward before he arrived at Naturena at the beginning of the campaign, but has almost single-handedly improved the side’s attacking fortunes. KICK OFF’s Nick Said investigates what makes Nurkovic such a quality addition and why he can fire Chiefs to the league title.
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Having joined as a relatively unknown striker, with no eye-popping history of his ability, Gustavo Paez has begun to settle in well at Kaizer Chiefs over the last six months, and is looking to help Amakhosi return to their glory days in the 2017/18 Premier Soccer League season. Everyone took a dig at his journeyman background and they expected to see another failed mercenary unpack their suitcase at Naturena. Oh, how wrong they were …
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