Mbesuma happy to join exclusive club
COLLINS Mbesuma has become only the fifth player in the PSL era to score 100 goals and the Highlands Park striker has put his achievement down to doing extra training.
The 32-year old Zambian netted in the 3-2 defeat to Polokwane City at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday to add his name to the history books.
“I think I stopped counting when I was around 95, because I didn’t want to put myself under pressure,” Mbesuma said.
“I’m happy and I thank God, because it is not too many strikers who have achieved that and also considering that I went overseas and came back.
“I have played for [seven] teams and the thing you pick up is that most of us strikers don’t practice a lot. To be perfect, you have to stay behind and do extra training, because this is our job,” explained Mbesuma, who has played for Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, Moroka Swallows, Golden Arrows, Orlando Pirates and Black Aces in South Africa.
Of the 100 strikes, he has picked the goal he scored for Chiefs against Black Leopards in 2004 as his favourite, more so because it was on his debut. Mbesuma, who scored a brace that day, gathered the ball at the halfway line, dribbled around Leopards defenders and unleashed an unstoppable shot.
“I can’t remember how many players I dribbled, but it was a special goal,” he recalled.
His next target is breaking his record of 25 league goals in a single season that he set in 200405 while playing for Chiefs.
The other strikers who have 100 PSL goals or more since 1996 are Daniel Mudau, Siyabonga Nomvethe, Manuel ‘Tico-Tico’ Bucuane and Mabhuti Khenyeza.
Nomvethe, who now plays for AmaZulu in the National First Division, remains the all-time PSL top scorer with 119 goals.