About two decades later, no Premier Soccer League striker has been able to break Collins Mbesuma's golden boot-winning tally of 25 goals in a single season, and the former Kaizer Chiefs marksman explains why.
Mbesuma is regarded as one of the best strikers South Africa has seen since the 2004/05 campaign as he became the first player to win the golden boot twice.
However, Mamelodi Sundowns’ Peter Shalulile broke ‘Ntofo Ntofo’s’ record as he has three awards launching his PSL career in 2015, coincidentally the season where Mbesuma claimed his second coveted gong.
"What I have noticed is that the strikers are not putting in a lot of work. I've seen it even during my playing days."
It was Shalulile who put Mbesuma’s record under threat in the 2021/22 edition where the Namibian banged in 23 goals, just two short of equaling the Zambian’s exploits.
Of late, the bar has been quite low, or maybe Mbesuma set it too far out for anyone’s reach. However way you look at it – the former Orlando Pirates striker is not impressed with the level of dedication and lack of zit in front goals.
“I used to stay behind with 30 or 40 balls with Senzo Meyiwa, and I was just kicking. Even the players I played with at Pirates can tell you that,” Mbesuma said on Izinja zeGame.
“I asked Senzo to stay behind and I wanted to kick the ball. It was every day after training and I made sure I did something with the ball even when there was no goalkeeper, I would just set a target.
“If you ask the players after training, ‘How many shots did you take on that session’. Maybe one or none and after the training they shower and go,” Mbesuma added.
As the age-old saying goes, “Practice makes perfect”. This was the soundtrack of Mbesuma’s career, and he has anecdotes of the many times the dividend of extra work paid off.
“There is a goal I scored against Bafana Bafana [where Itumeleng Khune was in goals]. Before I even took the shot, I knew where that ball was going, it was not a fluke because I did it in training.
“The whole week in training you don’t score a goal, how do you expect to score over the weekend? Already your confidence is down so you need to stay behind and do 200 balls per week,” Mbesuma explained.
Last season, the Buccaneers’ Tshegofatso Mabasa was the leading marksman with 16 strikes, closely followed by Iqraam Rayners of Stellies with 15 – five of those coming in one game.
Before Shalulile’s 23 goals four seasons ago, Siyabonga Nomvethe was the last to hit the 20-goal mark in 2011/12 for the now-defunct Moroka Swallows.
Nomvethe, Shalulile, Mbesuma Wilfred Mugeyi, and Pollen Ndlanya are the only strikers who hit 20 goals or more since the inception of the PSL in the 1996/97 campaign.
