Have Kaizer Chiefs come near finding the next Jabu Pule or Itumeleng Khune? Recent graduates have included Aden McCarthy, Mfundo Vilakazi, Mduduzi Shabalala, and Nkosingiphile Ngcobo.
Other promising names have been Happy Mashiane, Sabelo Radebe, Wandile Duba, Njabulo Blom and Samkelo Zwane.
KAIZER CHIEFS YOUNGSTERS URGED TO DELIVER
While a few like Blom and Shabalala have shown exciting potential, none have quite fully restored Kaizer Chiefs’ lost dominance in the South African game.
“Rebuilding a team takes time,” club legend Josta Dladla said on the Lemmi Loco on Sports
show. “If these boys really want to learn and grow, it is up to them. But they are in the right space right now.”
“Football is like this, you get an opportunity, you do so well, and you get spotted,” Dladla continued. “All you have to do after that is just to deliver. It is all up to the boys if they really want to be amongst the legends like Neil Tovey and Fani Madiba.
“Once you get a chance, it is up to you to deliver. If you don’t want to deliver, you can’t blame somebody else.
“The boys have to come out now. They can’t say every year they still want to learn. At 19, 20 you should be coming out now. And if you don’t? You know, in football, they go look for somebody else,” Dladla concluded.
In the meantime, Kaizer Chiefs, fresh from ending a decade-long trophy drought by winning the Nedbank Cup last season, sit fourth on the table, four points behind log-leaders Orlando Pirates.
WHAT’S CURRENT AND WHAT’S NEXT?
Coming up for Amakhosi after the Afcon 2025 break is a trip to Zambia. The Glamour Boys will battle Zesco United in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Co-coaches Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze are still looking for their first victory in the tournament. Matchday one came with a 2-1 defeat to Al Masry in Suez, Egypt, before a 1-1 draw with Zamalek SC at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.