Mphela-bolous

Remember when the country bemoaned Katlego Mphela’s inclusion in the 23-man squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, well yes, I do, you should too, further more. He wore the much adorned number 9 jersey.

The same old story of Gauteng based club-players being given preferential selection into Bafana Bafana was doing the rounds again. Mabhudi Khenyeza was omitted from the squad on counts of showing indiscipline, Richard Henyekane being left out, favouritism was echoed throughout the country. Bear in mind that at the time, Khenyeza was based in Cape Town with Ajax Cape Town and Henyekane in Durban for Lamontville Golden Arrows. Interestingly enough, both players have strong ties with Durban, Khenyeza being from there and Henyekane based there, and at the time, they were on paper, the ABSA Premierships most lethal strikers having scored something like 35 goals between the two of them.

However, Mphela in his debut season at cash money Mamelodi Sundowns, managed just 9 goals in the ABSA Premiership. A moderate goal return for the millions that he cost the Mamelodi outfit.

Mphela who was the fourth choice striker at the Confederations Cup in 2009, he was accustomed to the bench throughout the tournament. The preferred pairing of internationally based strikers, Thembinkosi Fanteni and Bernard Parker was an obstacle for the striker who was low on form at the time. To add insult to injury, Katlego Mphela was entrusted with relief duties as the “super-sub.”

When Mashego failed to make a name for himself, no wait, he did, he was the most prolific scorer when in an offside position, all his goals came from offside positions, hence, they are null and void.

The pairing of Parker and Mphela yielded 2 goals (just as many as Mphela scored in a single substitute appearance). Hmmm. Yes that’s right. Parker scored twice against New Zealand, that being the only real contribution the pairing made throughout the competition. Nor wonder they have been done away with, Parker looks like he might be offered a ticket to board the train to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Fanteni will be preparing his trip back to Israel when his failed loan spell at Orlando Pirates would have come to a sickening end.

Good players need luck every now and then, how many times did David Beckham score unthinkable goals when he was at his peak at Manchester United, what about Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal and quite recently, though not official, Thulani Serero’s scorcher of an unintended header against Swaziland.

Mphela had some luck to be honest, being in the squad in the first place, had Khenyeza been a good boy, he would have never been selected. However, I do not begrudge him anything he has accomplished. His goals against Spain, though sublime in every respect, were lucky goals. The first goal was nearly squandered by the striker, an attempted placement saw the ball come of his flinging boot, but he recovered just in time to thump the ball past the world’s best goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. The second was nothing short of magnificent, an injury time screamer from 40 yards out. No one had seen Mphela score from that far out since his goal against Kaizer Chiefs in a 3 – 0 victory for Supersport United some time ago.

Football is a remarkable game. You just don’t know what will happen. Nine months ago, had anybody asked me if I’d include Mphela in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, I probably would have had my reservations, but now, it’s a whole different ball game, I strongly tip him to be the best candidate to pair Benni McCarthy.

It’s amazing what a goal can do to a player’s confidence, Mphela has been in the form of his life this season, he is the leading goal scorer in the ABSA Premiership and anyone who could find fault in his inclusion this time around, would be bonkers.

He has proved to his critics, including myself, that he is the real deal. I just hope that his goal tally of 9 goals for Bafana Bafana rises quickly.

If he is playing twice as well to just to get in the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad, I do not care, in fact I only hope that he plays twice as hard so that Bafana realise the impossible dream of winning the world cup on home soil.

Woza 2010