FORM VS CLASS – OPEN THE DEBATE
Welcome back to club action after a month-and-ahalf that felt like a PSL drought. This issue kicks off with a bang – or at very least the players we feature in the issue are. Cover star George Lebese is leading the goal-scoring charts for Kaizer Chiefs; read about the players who inspire him and his goals for 2016 on page 6. We dig deep with goalscoring chart-topper Collins Mbesuma who gives us a startling revelation about his real age – get the full scoop on page 14! On page 30 we bring you exciting rising stars Gift Motupa, Menzi Masuku and Phakamani Mahlambi. Our centre-spread is the first installment of our Sedgwicks Top 100 Footballers collection. We know that football is a team game, but there is nothing like the brilliance of an individual to set a pitch and our hearts on fire. Over the next few months you will be able to collect our Top 100 footballers in the world – including Africa’s top 20 – based on their form since the start of 2015, taking into account the permanence of class versus the sometimes fleeting nature of form. Some names may surprise you, many will ignite argument as the selection criteria appear to sideline some legends of the game. Take for example Andrea Pirlo, whose sublime art is rendered less persuasive in a weaker league; or John Terry, whose physicality no longer
matches his tactical brilliance. You’ll find some unfamiliar names too – we urge you to take an open-minded approach towards these players, who are showing that their form is not just a flash-in-the-pan. Don’t make the mistake of writing a player off just because he is not famous in Mzansi! And, talking of great players, we salute the heroes of the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations,
and recall the spirit of Madiba as we remember Bafana Bafana’s greatest triumph on page 64. We also pose a question around Europe’s two powerhouse clubs – Barcelona versus Bayern Munich – which is better? It’s an edition that should inspire you to question, recall, learn and start debating!