"To be as influential at a club as big as Orlando Pirates is a big deal!' Relebohile Mofokeng backed to win PSL Footballer of the Season award as Mamelodi Sundowns' Lucas 'Ribeiro would be my number two'

Mamelodi Sundowns forward Lucas Ribeiro Costa is largely touted to be named as the Premier Soccer League Footballer of the Year for the 2024/25.

But Siyabonga Nomvethe believes Orlando Pirates winger deserves to be handed that accolade and he explains why.

“It has to be a competition between the young boy Relebohile Mofokeng and the Brazilian [Lucas] Ribeiro,” Nomvethe told iDiski Times.

“I personally would give it to Mofokeng. For someone as young as he is to be as influential at a club as big as Pirates is a big deal. The young boy gave everything on the field – he deserves to win this award. He gave top class performances all the way. 

"Ja, he did not score a lot of goals, but he is not an outright striker, and no player will score all the time," added the Bafana Bafana legend. 

“Yet he still scored the important ones, and he made lots of crucial assists. I believe what he did this season is going to serve as encouragement for many young players to start believing in themselves and for the coaches to realise that age is just a number.

“Ribeiro would be my number two because he has really performed well – he scored goals and assisted, and his performances were always top; he had an outstanding season.”

The debate about who will be named the PSL Footballer of the Season continues to rage on.

Ribeiro and Mofokeng's names are the most mentioned, while the name of Keletso Makgalwa has also popped up.

The winner will succeed Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams who is the reigning Footballer of the Season.

The PSL is yet to announce when the awards ceremony will take place, but it is likely to be held this July or early August, before the start of the 2025/26 season.

That leaves fans guessing about who was the best player of the season, something that is likely to spark some fierce debate.