Orlando Pirates star Yanela Mbuthuma backed to light up 2025/26 Golden Boot race - 'He won’t stop'

Bucs forward Yanela Mbuthuma has been backed to rise to the top of South African football after showing signs of finding his feet in Soweto.

The 24-year-old faced early pressure following his move to the Sea Robbers but is now beginning to repay the faith placed in him by the technical team, producing performances that highlight his threat in the final third.

Ndlovu believes Mbuthuma has now found his scoring rhythm, with the former Sundowns star convinced the forward can go on to dominate the Betway Premiership scoring charts.

Speaking about the striker’s potential, Ndlovu backed Mbuthuma to make a serious push for the Golden Boot and establish himself among the league’s leading marksmen.

"Because he knows how to position himself and he missed chances often, I always knew that once the boy starts scoring, he won't stop," Ndlovu told KickOff.

"I'm happy with how the Pirates players are supporting him. With such teammates, Mbuthuma will be our league's Top Goalscorer this season."

Ndlovu highlighted his second goal against Kruger United as a sign of a high-calibre talent. He was quick to dismiss suggestions that Mbuthuma is merely a beneficiary of luck, pointing instead to the intricate skill required to execute his recent strikes.

Ndlovu broke down the technical aspects of the goal that impressed him most, noting the striker's spatial awareness.

"The knee touch to set up the ball very nicely in front of him while under pressure like that, the scanning of the two defenders chasing him, but still Mbuthuma was able to check the distance between him and the goalkeeper," Ndlovu explained.

"The way he chipped that goalkeeper with a curling ball is stuff you only see from big stars abroad."

Ndlovu also argued that even the seemingly easiest chances require a level of preparation and execution that often goes unnoticed by the casual observer.

Addressing the criticism of the striker's opener in his recent outing, Ndlovu was firm in his assessment.

"Even the first goal, people are saying it's a tap-in. That ball he could have easily missed! But because he worked on his finishing all along it seems, he was able to finish it nicely.

"It's not easy to score against a keeper diving to the side you plan to score in. And even there, there was a defender behind Mbuthuma," Ndlovu concluded.