#Throwback Thursday We have joined the festivities by taking you down memory lane with the greatest ever players to feature for the Phefeni Glamour boy between 1990 – 2018.
Brian ” Spiderman” Baloyi
Agile, great shot stopper, great reader of the game. Used his imposing physical presence to dominate his box. Was a clever player with great leadership qualities.
Patrick Mabedi,
Clever defender. A good reader of the game. A good organiser and leader at the back. He was quick off the mark and great penalty taker.
Cyril “Skhokho” Nzama
A hard as nails defender who co-incidentally made his Chiefs debut in a 1-all draw against the old enemy in 2000.
Neil ” Mokoko” Tovey
Started as a good energetic midfielder, who was later converted into a central defender. He made the transition seamless and was also comfortable in that position. He had good anticipation, a never say die attitude. An astute communicator; organizer and leader at the back with a winning mentality.
Theophilus Doctorson Doctor “16V” Khumalo
Was an immensely talented attacking midfielder who was the blue-eyed boy of South African football. He wore the famous number 15 jersey for Chiefs that he inherited from Springbok stalwart, Jan ‘Malombo’ Lechaba. In mid-1990s Doctor Khumalo left his beloved Amakhosi for Argentinian outfit Ferro Carril Oeste, before joining USA-based Columbus Crew where he netted six goals in 32 outings. “Doctor”was better known as “16 valve” and played in a total of 397 league and cup games, scoring 75 goals as part of the 1990s Chiefs teams that won three South African league championship titles, five knockout trophies and he was also voted South African Footballer of the Year in 1992.
After the re-admission of South Africa to FIFA in 1992, Khumalo was selected to be a member of the South African squad for its first official international match in July of the same year, against Cameroon. South Africa won the match 1–0, due to a penalty scored by Khumalo. He was also a leading member of the winning South African national team at the 1996 African Nations Cup. He also represented South Africa in the 1998 Football World Cup. Throughout his whole international career, he played for South Africa 50 times (twice as captain), scoring nine goals. Khumalo was voted 62nd in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004 and it is envisaged that his son Diego will follow in his illustrious footsteps.
Tenashe Washington Nengomashe
A midfield general who worked tirelessly winning back the ball. He had a heart of a lion. A true servant of the club.
Arthur “10111” Zwane
A skillfull and clever intelligent midfielder who could run all day. Could create and score goals. Had a great work ethic. A top class professional on and off the field.
Jabu “Shuffle” Pule
A pure attacking talent. He had the ability to win the game on his own. He could create and score goals. He was a talisman and crowd favourite. He was a marvel to watch when running at defenders with pace. A true maverick of football but exceptionally gifted. Led Chiefs to the Mandela Cup victory in 2000 and to many domestic trophies at Naturena. He could glide between defenders with ease and one of a few players who made a scoring debut for Bafana Bafana against Lesotho in Maseru. The best talent of his generation, who fought his own demons off the field of play and was further, nicknamed “Ngwana wa Tswenya” for his antics.
John ” Shoes” Moshoeu
A pure genius. One of the greats of his generation. Skillfull , intelligent and could create and score goals. A master of the game. A team player. The closest the country had to a Messi. Won 2 league titles during his second spell at the club upon his return from Turkey where he spent close to a decade.
Thabo ” Tsikitsiki” Mooki
A dribbling wizard . Creator of goals. A big fan favourite . He had great technical qualities, could dictate the pace of the game. Was a great passer of the ball.
Pollen “Trompies ” Ndlanya
Was a real goalscoring machine. The traditional number 9, very good playing with his back to goal . Had a great leap and power in the air.
Siyabonga ” Bhele” Nomvethe
Terrified defenders with his pace and trickery. Could run all day. Scored lots of goals. He had football intelligence and knew how to position himself in the box.
Collins ” Ntofontofo” Mbesuma
A goal poacher par excellence with brute force. Had pace and was explosive at his prime. A great finisher with good feet.
Knowledge “Smiling Assassin” Musona
A natural goalscorer. Could score goals from amazing angles. Good header of the ball. Perfected the art of playing on the shoulder of the last defender.
Scara “Black Jesus” Ngobese
Emmanuel Asanda “Scara” “Black Jesus” Ngobese was definitely the last purist of his generation. Perhaps his legacy must be a gentle reminder on how much this country has abundance of talent that needs harnessing and appreciation by the foreign coaches.
Itumeleng Khune
Arguably one of the best players of his generation. Very agile, good feet, great distributor of the ball. A communicator , organiser and good leader at the back.