Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa is edging closer to surpassing legend Benedict Vilakazi by becoming the club’s all-time leading goal-scorer in the PSL era.
Mabasa hit the 50-goal mark when he scored in stoppage time to steer Pirates to a 2-0 win over TS Galaxy during their Betway Premiership encounter at the Orlando Stadium on Tuesday night.
After the game, Bucs coach Abdeslam Ouaddou congratulated his talisman and said that he is delighted with Mabasa reaching the half-century goal-scoring mark.
“First of all, I’m happy for him, I’m happy that Mabasa scored, it shows the fantastic team spirit in this player. Like I said, at the beginning of the season, he was not playing, but you can see that he has 100% involvement in training,” Ouaddou said during a press conference.
Professional to the core
“He’s very professional, all the time he’s advising his teammates, getting close to them, and he has a clean heart. If I can go a little bit deep, I can tell you that one time I wanted to bring him on the pitch, and he told me to bring in Masindi [Nemtajela].
“So, he was pushing for his teammate to play instead of him. I’m not surprised about what you said [about Mabasa encouraging Makgopa to take the penalty], you know it’s very important for a striker to score. I’m very happy about the spirit of everyone,” Ouaddou added.
Mabasa is on the cusp of breaking the Buccaneers’ all-time scorers list and is eight goals shy of record holder Vilakazi with 58 goals.
The 28-year-old has already surpassed club legends Phumlani Mkhize and the late Lesley Manyathela, who are tied on 41 goals.
Ahead of the season, Mabasa said that he would be challenging himself to break the long-standing record before the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco later this year.
“I am looking to have a big season this [time]. I think I am 10 or 11 goals away. And I want to achieve that record before AFCON starts [in December],” Mabasa said.
“In August, we have [had] five games, six with the MTN8, so I don’t see why not. The older I get, the less I worry about pressure. I no longer worry about pressure. You can’t perform well under pressure,” he added.
Mabasa will have another opportunity to increase his goal tally further when Pirates host Siwelele FC in the Carling Knockout round of 16 on Saturday.
