It has been over 30 years since Thabo 'Tsiki Tsiki' Mooki and the late Thabang 'Banda' Lebese debuted for Kaizer Chiefs and went on to achieve greatness in their careers, and it looks like the Soweto giants could have a similar situation with the current generation.
Under French coach Philippe Troussier in 1994, Mooki made his Amakhosi debut as a teenager and went on to make over 400 league and cup appearances, scoring 40 goals.
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Lebese made his debut in 1993 and was one of the stars of his generation at the club.
With Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi appearing to be willing to give youngsters Mfundo Vilakazi and Mduduzi Shabalala a chance to establish themselves at the Soweto giants, it could be the beginning of the new era of stars and legends in the making for the club.
"I would like to see these boys growing from strength to strength and continuing with their performances the way they have started the season. I think the coach has given them confidence to say they shouldn't have the element of fear in how they play. When you are happy and doing things with a smile, it becomes easy to express yourself on the field of play as a footballer. I just hope that they keep it up and ensure that they maintain consistency. We've got to do away with this mentality that players can't play at the highest level at a certain age and that we should wait for them until they are 30 to expect them to perform, that is not right. I think the coach had enough time to work with these boys during pre-season and he's got them prepared and they are now showing that they are ready," former Chiefs midfielder Humphrey Mlwane said, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
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"There are similarities because even then Philippe Troussier believed in players like Thabo Mooki and Banda. I see this coach (Nabi) is showing that he's got belief in the young players at Chiefs and therefore the same success achieved by the likes of Thabo and Banda can be achieved by them. Showing faith and belief in these young players will motivate them not to let the coach down. The game isn't about age but how you express yourself on the field. There are a lot of players in Europe who are under 20 or in their early 20s and they are doing well," added Mlwane.
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