Former Senegal international striker Mame Niang says he is working tirelessly behind the scenes to develop the next top South African striker.
Niang, who played for several clubs in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), including Mamelodi Sundowns and the now-defunct SuperSport United, confirmed to Sunday World recently that he is working with a youth team and focusing on developing strikers.
“Currently, I am in South Africa, and there is a club that I am working with in the youth ranks, where I am basically helping them with the strikers,” Niang said.
“The mission is to try and help create some new goal scorers for South Africa, where we will have the next Mame Niang, Siyabonga Nomvethe, and Collins Mbesuma, so that is basically what I am currently busy with.”
It is no secret that recently, South Africa has been struggling in the striking department, locally and internationally.
For instance, the last SA-born striker to score 20 goals in a single PSL season was Nomvethe during the 2011/12 campaign.
Niang bets on Sundowns to win league
Since then, there has not been any local striker to come close to achieving that feat, and Niang believes he has what it takes to build a striker of that calibre.
Meanwhile, the former lanky striker has also weighed in on the ongoing debate over who will win the Betway Premiership title this season in the exciting title race between the Orlando Pirates and Sundowns.
“I have no doubt that Sundowns will win the league again. Yes, Orlando Pirates have been competing closely with Sundowns, but I believe they are now feeling the pressure.
“So, they have started dropping points, and that will be a challenge for them, and for that reason, I see Sundowns going all the way to win the league title again,” Niang added.
Despite Niang’s prediction, the Buccaneers head into the Fifa international break sitting on top of the league standings with just a one-point lead ahead of Masandawana, who have played a game less following their CAF Champions League duties over the weekend.
With less than 10 games remaining, it is still very much unclear who will reign as the 2025/2026 PSL champions, as the league title seems like it will go down to the wire in this two-horse race.
