When Themba Zwane collected a pass from Sphephelo Sithole before dancing past the Nigerian defence and hitting the ball into the back of the net, it gave Bafana Bafana a 1-0 lead over their old foes during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Uyo. The manner in which the goal was scored also ignited an old debate on who is the best South African midfielder between Zwane and Doctor Khumalo. The two players might have played in two different generations, but the debate has come around so often that no-one can actually give a specific reason why one is better than the other. In this feature, Soccer Laduma's Zola Doda talks to two former international players and one coach about who is the best between the former Kaizer Chiefs great and current Mamelodi Sundowns captain.
Great players, from different generations
Themba Zwane is undoubtedly one of the best players of this current generation. His ability to play out of tight situations is something to marvel at. And his scoring ability, decision making, and technical execution are some one of the best on the African continent. And he is arguably one of the reasons Sundowns is regarded as one of the best teams on the African continent.
But while Sundowns is a star- studded team made up of great players from around the world, the team looks different without "Mshishi" in the starting line-up as we saw when they lost to Esperance Tunis in the CAF Champions League semi- final. And there is no doubt that Zwane will go down in history as one of the best South African players.
But while his great goal against Nigeria is still fresh in the memories of many fans, the truth is former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Doctor Khumalo also scored and created many goals, which left many fans in awe.
When Bafana Bafana played Argentina during the Nelson Mandela Challenge in May 1995, Khumalo played a double one- two pass with Mark Williams, who was outside the Argentina D-line. And when the ball came to Doc for the second time, there were two defenders standing in front of him. Doc had no time to control it, or move it forward.Instead, he hit a first time shot with an outside of his foot, into the back of the net to score one of the greatest Bafana Bafana goals.The following year, in April 1996, against Brazil at FNB Stadium, Helman Mkhalele played a cross which deflected off a Brazil defender. The ball dropped right in front of Doc, who hit a first time volley which left Brazil goalkeeper, Dida, helpless for Bafana Bafana's second goal.
Khumalo is, without the shadow of doubt, one of the greatest players this country has ever seen. Blessed with skill and deceptive low pace, he produced magical moments against some of the best teams in the world.
And after winning countless trophies, during his illustrious career, including the coveted 1996 Africa Cup of Nations with Bafana Bafana, he etched his name in the history books of South African football as one of the best players to ever come out of this country. The debate on who is the best between Mamelodi Sundowns captain and former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder is not going away anytime soon.
Experts share their opinion
It will be unfair to say that Themba is better than Doc
Farouk Khan - Former Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach
"People will always have opinions and at the end of the day they are just opinions. For me, Doctor Khumalo had attributes second to none. He was sensational, anytime and anywhere. Kaizer Chiefs were dominant because they had a player like Doctor Khumalo. This is similar to Themba Zwane now at Mamelodi Sundowns and the national team. Themba is a making an impact. But people forget that Doctor played and scored against some of the best teams in the world like Brazil, Germany and Argentina. Doctor played at a time when South African football was a force in world football. We had a team that won the Africa Cup of Nations, a team that played against some of the best countries in the world and we were never embarrassed. To be fair, Themba is a formidable player. He is really a good player. But I think it will be grossly unfair to say that he is better than Doc. I've seen Doc and Shoes Moshoeu up close when I was at Chiefs, and they were something else. They were out of this world. One thing you must do when comparing players: look at their opponents that they were up against and how they were able to perform. In those days, we played against Germany, Brazil, and Argentina. When was the last time Bafana Bafana played against those teams? To compare players who are so good is unfair because you will always have an opinion. It's like choosing the nominees for the Player of the Season Awards; it's very subjective."
That's when I knew Doc was great
Mark Williams - Bafana Bafana legend
"When we look at two players, Doctor Khumalo played overseas and Themba Zwane did not. Doc won the Africa Cup of Nations and Themba has not been able to do that. But at the same time Themba contributed a lot in Sundowns winning seven league titles in a row and we can't take that away from him. He is really an engine. It would have been easy to compare Shoes Moshoeu and Doc because these are players who played in the same generation against the same opponent. Me and Shoes, did not get along, but Shoes was something special. There's a lot of things that I can tell you about and some of the best players I've played with. I think we must just be grateful that we have watched these players like Themba and Doc, they are both exceptional.
I played with Doc and there are a lot of things that I've seen him do both in training and in matches. For example, when we played against Brazil in 1996, Doc was on top of his game against arguably the best team in the world at that time. When Doc played, that Brazil team did not know whether they were coming or going. He played against Germany and Argentina. Themba has never played against Argentina, Germany and Brazil so that we can see how is he going to perform. He is definitely a good player. But to be honest, you can only judge a player when he plays against the best in the world.
He played at the Africa Cup of Nations and had a wonderful tournament. In my opinion he was our best player at the tournament. I've also watched him play in the CAF Champions League for Mamelodi Sundowns. And I also ask myself, how did they put him in the national team when he was already in his mid 20's, so early. They should have played him at an early age because he is gem, he is a gem. But now he doesn't have that same pace again.
I've seen Themba playing doing great things against African teams and countries. Until I see him play against countries that are ranked Number 1, 2 or 3 in the world. I mean we play Lesotho and Zambia. Once you play against best, then you can say this guy is the best. Playing against teams ranked in the top five, that's when I knew Doc was great.
We saw Themba doing great in the CAF Champions league and people must not say the CAF Champions League is the same as the UEFA Champions League, it's not the same. It's a tough tournament. He must go overseas and compete. Playing overseas is tough and as someone who has travelled I know that. So we can't compare the two players, it's apples and oranges. I'm not saying Themba is a bad player, I'm saying we haven't seen him playing against the best in the world. If I was a journalist I would ask Themba Zwane: when are you going to make a move overseas to compete internationally? Considering that he is in his mid 30's, I would say he still has at least two years to go overseas. I played overseas until I was 38."
'Every generation comes and goes'
Roger Feutmba - Former Mamelodi Sundowns player
"Doctor Khumalo was a great player and contributed a lot to South African football. Themba Zwane is still playing and doing well. He is a massive and high-quality player for Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns. I strongly believe that this generation has a responsibility to inspire the next one that is what make splayers great. Doctor's contribution to South African football was so good that he was able to inspire future generations. Themba's generation must also do the same. Themba is following in the footsteps of Doctor; instead of always comparing the two we need to appreciate what these two greats have done to South African football. When I played against Doc, it was very difficult for me because he made me think a lot because he was also player like a I was. He was difficult to play against. Khumalo, I, and others who came before us, we all need to be proud and happy for the contribution we made to African football. The truth of the matter is that each generation comes and goes. We had our time and today it's Themba's generation. And they will have to guide the next generation to come. Themba is a typical playmaker. He is skilful, has very high tactical knowledge and as a midfielder he always knows what is happening around him. In the national team he has more freedom to do what he wants to do. At Sundowns, he does, to a certain extent, have that freedom as well. Khumalo played in a generation with massive quality players and today it's different."
