After Kaizer Chiefs won the 2024 Engen Knockout Challenge in Johannesburg on the weekend, a local scout has raved about the special Amakhosi talent who won the Player of the Tournament award!
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Ofentse Kgosana
Club: Kaizer Chiefs
Position: Left-wing back
Date of birth: 2006
Preferred foot: Left
Player traits: Likes to get forward, likes to be a leader for his teammates
SCOUT REPORT
Speaking to Soccer Laduma about the 2024 Engen Knockout Challenge that took place in Joburg over the weekend, University of Johannesburg FC and South Africa U20 coach Karabo Mogudi could not contain hide his excitement after seeing Ofentse Kgosana in action for Chiefs. The youngster is a blend of Khuliso Mudau and Thapelo Morena, according to Mogudi, who also believes the talented wing-back has the makings of someone capable of being a regular first-team player at Chiefs if he continues his progress.
Tell us about Kgosana...
His nickname is Flash, and when I say Flash, you already know what that means. He is Flash Gordon. Speed, so those are some of his qualities, he's got a lot of speed in him. He was born in 2006, that means he is 18 this year. He is left-wing back. So obviously a left-footed player. The boy was born in Thembisa and he is currently at Kaizer Chiefs U19s. He's basically been playing in the Engen for quite some time. He won the Engen this year. Last year they went out of the quarters of the group stage. So it wasn't a good year for them so they came this year with something to prove. He's got a lot of accolades individually. Player of the Season at Kaizer Chiefs. Midfielder of the Season at Kaizer Chiefs at U15, Player of the Season at U17 and he also mentions that, in 2024, he was the top goalscorer in the Limpopo tournament. And this year, when we sent his name for profiling, we didn't even know he'd be the Player of the Tournament at the Engen this year.
Which professional footballer in South Africa or abroad does he play like?
You know, he's a very, very good player, very influential, going up and down. For me, if someone says, 'Who do you model him with?', I'll say the control of (Khuliso) Mudau at Sundowns and the speed of Thapelo Morena going up, you know? The crosses of (Jeremie) Frimpong and (Denzel) Dumfries. It's a mix of all those guys. He's a powerhouse on the left side, you know? He's a powerhouse. And he scores goals, eh? So imagine a wing-back who also scores goals. For me, wow, he's something else, man.
Can you tell us about his personality?
He's a leader. The good thing is when you are scouting, at least you get to be closer and closer to the field. He communicates always with his left centre-back, communicates always with the attacking midfielder, where they must go, where they must run. They follow him because they know he's an influential player in the team, but he's got a very calm demeanour. When he's fouled he does not, you know, retaliate or talk negatively to an opponent, you know, he just goes about his business. So I think a young man who's got a very good level of shoulders, very calm demeanor, but when he gets the ball, he then becomes something else. Flash shows up!
Tell us about his role in the team...
He is so multi-positioned and so multi-functional. They played Sundowns in the final, and therefore that meant that he had to defend a little bit more as well. In that last 10 minutes, he was playing almost in the last line of defence. So that tells you about a player who understands his role in attack and in defence. And that's what PSL coaches want. That's what professional coaches want. They want someone who can function maximally in defence and in attack. They're never given a role, you need to operate maximally in those and he understands that perfectly so.
Do you think this is a potential star?
Very exciting, very exciting. I just hope that he remains steadfast, you know, in his quest to be a professional player. I just hope that he remains disciplined and he remains as calm as I saw him. He laps everything up. He doesn't get things to overwhelm him. He's very level-headed. And I can assure you if he maintains that, he'll get into professional football and be a future left-wing back for Kaizer Chiefs.
