KEYWORD: KHUNE KEYWORD: NDLOVU KEYWORD: NYATAMA KEYWORD: TAU Pick your Player-of-the-Season

A little later than others, but certainly better late than never, it is time for the Phakaaathi Player-of-the-Season competition, where one lucky reader will walk away with a LG G5 smartphone. Simply follow the rules for the competition at the bottom of t

Itumeleng Khune

His name, when loosely translated, means “be happy”, which would mean he brought joy to his parents when he was born. The 28-year-old keeper is not only the pride of his parents, but has proved to be capable of bringing joy to millions of Kaizer Chiefs supporters over the past 10 years or so. His consistency is impressive. Last season Khune again proved his mettle and staying power as he became a beacon of hope in an otherwise dark and dry season for Amakhosi. Some have gone so far as to claim that had it not been for Khune, Amakhosi would have not even made the top eight. This is an arguable point. The 16 clean sheets he kept in 27 appearances certainly made a huge impact and saved Amakhosi some blushes. There was a run of three games where the team could not find a rhythm in their play but Khune kept things together and was named Man of the Match on all three occasions. This makes him a credible candidate for Phakaaathi’s Player of the Season, although it can be argued that all his hard work bore no fruit. But Khune deserves every plaudit he gets as he gives his best every time he is on the field.

Siphesihle Ndlovu

Maritzburg United will be desperate to keep hold of Siphesihle Ndlovu, who shot to fame in the 2017/18 campaign with a series of brilliant displays for Fadlu Davids’ Team of Choice. Aged just 21, Ndlovu showed himself to be the most exciting young player in the domestic game as he helped United to a fourth-placed finish in the Absa Premiership, in a season when they also reached the semifinals of the MTN8 and the final of the Nedbank Cup. Ndlovu netted five times in the league for the Team of Choice and provided five assists in all competitions, his performances enough to win him the Absa Premiership Young Player-of-the-Season award and the Midfielder-of-the-Season award. It is little wonder that Ndlovu seems to be attracting the attention of South Africa’s bigger sides, with Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane voicing his admiration for the talented attacking midfielder, who also featureD for Bafana Bafana at the 2018 Cosafa Cup.

Musa Nyatama

This was a brilliant bounce-back season for Orlando Pirates, even though they ended up without silverware, just missing out to Mamelodi Sundowns in the race for the Absa Premiership title. One of the key forces behind Pirates’ resurgence under Milutin Sredojevic was Musa Nyatama, who excelled in the midfield for the Buccaneers in the 2017/18 season and was perhaps a little unlucky to miss out on the Absa Premiership Midfielder-of-the-Season award. Despite turning 30 in August last year, Nyatama spent more time on the field for Pirates last season than any other Buccaneers player, featuring in 28 of their 30 league games, and starting in 27 of those. He scored four goals, including two against his former team Bloemfontein Celtic, and grabbed three assists as Pirates sent out a warning to the rest of the league that they are again a force to be reckoned with after missing out on the top eight for the first time in Premier Soccer League history in the previous campaign.

Percy Tau

Who could forget Percy Tau’s moment of brilliance when he did the almost unthinkable – he won the ball at the centre line and charged towards goal, reducing his markers to spectators in the process before lobbing it with his weaker right foot (with his back against goal) to find Khama Billiat, whose finish was equally magnificent as he connected well to score a fine volley past Cape Town City goalkeeper Sage Stephens. It was that very moment that set 24-year-old Tau apart from the rest of his Absa Premiership counterparts, a skill that set tongues wagging. Leading the long list of admirers was Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt, who said had it been Argentina and FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi who had produced that skill, it would have reached global fame within a blink of an eye. Tau featured in all of Downs’ 30 Absa Premiership games last season, where his 11 league goals helped the Brazilians to a record-extending eighth league title and saw him finish as joint top goalscorer with Rodney Ramagalela.