'I have been there!' Mduduzi Shabalala told to forget the noise & be Kaizer Chiefs' hero against Zamalek: 'If you aren't criticised, you stay in comfort zone'

The 22-year-old Kaizer Chiefs development product missed some good chances in the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 loss to Stellenbosch at the DHL Stadium a couple of days ago.

The game ended 2-1 with the Glamour Boys supporters heartbroken to see their team out of the annual competition.

Since then, Mduduzi Shabalala has been a target of a section of the club's fans on social media. 

Kaizer Chiefs legend Doctor Khumalo insists he faced the same during his active days and urged the versatile midfielder to focus on his game. 

The former Bafana Bafana international challenged Shabalala to be a hero this weekend in the CAF Confederation Cup outing against Zamalek.

“I have been there, even though I wasn’t attacked. These are the problems that, as a footballer, you must understand, so the boy must be strong,” he said in a presser.

“He [Shabalala] must not think too much about it. He’s just going through a phase, and imagine if he could be a hero against Zamalek; that rough patch would now be over, and everyone would start praising him," Khumalo continued.

Khumalo further opined how Shabalala can use the criticism to his advantage in the forthcoming matches.

"[Shabalala] must not listen to the noise," he added.

"And he must not feel bad about being criticised, that should propel him to the next level, to perform better.

"If you are not being criticised, you stay in your comfort zone," Khumao advised.

Chiefs go into the game against Zamalek leading Group D with two points clear at the top, knowing a point will be enough to put them into the quarter-finals. But Khumalo warns it will not be a walk in the park.

"Zamalek are a very good team, well organised, and I expect a very difficult game for Chiefs against them,” '16V' said.

“Remember, Zamalek have won this cup before [in 2024] and they know that losing to Chiefs could mean they are not advancing to the knockout stages of the competition," he concluded.