Mahlasela secures Celtics
Although there’s been talk of the player leaving the green and gold, he scored a win for the team
He was considered the only bright spark in a Bloemfontein Celtic team that flirted dangerously with relegation because he stood head and shoulders above his teammates in what proved to be a difficult season for the green and white.
Kabelo Mahlasela was at his most devastating form last week as he danced around a cluster of defenders and smashed the ball into the net to help Siwelele lift the off-season King Mangosuthu Legacy Cup and earn our gong as this week’s Real Makoya!
Towards the end of last season, Gauteng’s big teams hovered around him with tantalising offers to ditch Celtic, much to the dismay of the green and white who relied on his playmaking skills to survive.
At one stage, reports indicated he would join Amakhosi after the player had allegedly hinted to a senior Celtic official that his career would be better served if he exchanged his green and white shirt for the gold and black.
To his credit, the 26-year-old has remained focused on delivering for Siwelele — as he so emphatically demonstrated in Ulundi last week.
“I was never really bothered nor disturbed by all the talk of me joining Kaizer Chiefs because I have a very good support structure around me — from my teammates, the technical team and my parents who keep me grounded,” said Mahlasela.
He admitted to having heard and even read about his “intentions” to join Chiefs, reports that he claims brought tension to the team and almost affected his performance towards the end of last season.
But the Celtic star picked up from where he left off, displaying classy movement and touches on and off the ball in the final last week. He smartly intercepted a through ball from Roggert Nyundu, danced around a bemused defender and calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper for the only goal of the match in the final.