Ivory Coast and Chelsea legend Salomon Kalou could not help but praise Kaizer Chiefs’ dynamites, Mduduzi Shabalala and Mfundo Vilakazi, saying that they are amongst the young stars who will shape the future of Bafana Bafana.
Kalou was recently in South Africa for the announcement by CAF and new MultiChoice
owners Canal+ that they would be broadcasting all 52 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon)
matches next month.
The 40-year-old former winger took some time off to watch his boyhood club Amakhosi during their impressive 4-1 win over minnows Orbit College last week, declaring that Shabalala and Vilakazi were the two players who captured his attention.
“I watched the Chiefs game where they won 4-1 and the team played very well, but I think the two youngsters who scored, Shabalala and Vilakazi, caught my attention,” Kalou told Sunday World after the CAF and Canal+ Afcon announcement.
“Vilakazi looks so young. I thought he was 15 years old, but he is a great player and has a bright future alongside Shabalala if they continue playing like that.
“This is also good for the national team of South Africa because when you see those talents coming up, it gives you hope and belief that Bafana Bafana can be back to the level they were back in the day.”
Kalou also got an opportunity to visit the famous Chiefs Village in Naturena last week, where he met the club chairman, Kaizer Motaung, and his idol, Doctor Khumalo.
The Ivorian said he was left in awe by the quality of the facilities he witnessed and believes that they match the European standard.
“My visit to the Chiefs Village was amazing, and I was very impressed with how beautiful the village is. It’s good for an African club to have its own facility that meets European standards.
“You can see that a club like this wants to make a statement that they are a bigger club and have their own facility.
“So, I was pleased to be there and to see the youth development and the programmes that they have at the club. It shows that South African football has a bright future ahead,” he added.
