Orlando Pirates' Tshegofatso Mabasa has emerged as one of the favourites to win the Golden Boot at the end of the season much to the delight of the club's supporters.
Since coming back from a loan spell with Moroka Swallows, Mabasa has been in scintillating form and scoring goals for the Buccaneers.
Following his three goals against Golden Arrows on the weekend as Bucs defeated Abafana Bes'thende 7-1, the forward has moved to 10 league goals for the season, and 13 in all competitions.
The Botshabelo-born player netted six of his strikes in the league while still with Swallows.
The 27-year-old appears to have taken over from Evidence Makgopa as the leading man up front for Bucs now that the Bafana Bafana man has been injured, and former Pirates striker James Mothibi has been impressed.
The Good
"Tshegofatso Mabasa's performances have improved a great deal. Everyone who is positive about the development of South African football will be happy about the player's form. When Orlando Pirates loaned the player out, it was for him to get regular game time and the decision was the right one because now he is doing well for the club. So, Pirates prepared the boy every way possible for him to return a better player. Now, he and the club are reaping the rewards. You must remember that for any team to function the way it should, it depends on the philosophy of the coach and whether he believes that the players at his disposal will suit his system," said Mothibi.
The Bad
"Possibly, Mabasa was not in the coach's plans initially and maybe that is why he was loaned out. God opened the door for him to go and prove himself elsewhere and on his return the coach was able to see the improvement in his game. The thing about coaching a big club like Pirates is that you don't often get enough time to prepare. The coach doesn't always have enough time to try different combinations and he selects players who perform at training at the time he's got to make the decisions," he said.
The Ugly
"Mabasa has done well to win the heart of the coach and is proving to be a very good player. A good decision that was made by the club was not to release him completely from the club. I have been following the boy's career and I know how he would score goals for Bloemfontein Celtic," he added.
"Avoid hookah pipes and girls"
"What is important about being a professional footballer is being able to look after your body well. I'm not talking only about Mabasa here but every other professional footballer out there. Should all the players be able to look after their bodies and be mindful of their lifestyle, our standard of football in South Africa would improve. I was at the Orlando Pirates U21 Cup recently and was able to see the talent displayed by young players from the different teams that participated, but the question is, will those boys be able to protect the talent that God gave them and use it in the correct way? There is this tendency of players smoking hookah pipes and all these things, they shouldn't be doing those things. They shouldn't be in football to get girls and all those things, and they should focus on their careers. I advised most of the youngsters I spoke to at the Pirates U21 Cup to avoid engaging in unnecessary things like those in order for their career to progress," concluded Mothibi.
How many goals can Mabasa score this season?
