Upcoming top goalscorer! Under-fire Kaizer Chiefs star Mduduzi Shabalala hailed 'he'll lead Bafana Bafana' despite mounting criticism

Mduduzi Shabalala was promoted to the Kaizer Chiefs first team from the reserve side and made his senior debut in 2022 at the age of 18.

Expectations were high that finally Amakhosi had unearthed a top attacking midfielder who would turn into a top star. However, those expectations are yet to be met, and the star still struggles to get into his full potential.

Former Amakhosi midfielder Mandla Masango has explained what Mdu, as Shabalala is widely known in football circles, needs to thrive.

"I think he needs to be supported; he needs to be encouraged because he's one for the future. One day he'll have the opportunity to lead Bafana Bafana, not only Kaizer Chiefs, so we need to really be behind him and always encourage him whenever we see him,” Masango said at the Chiefs' Carling Black Label event.

"And one day he'll be a top goal scorer, and I like the fact that he gets into good positions. There are rare players, especially playing in his position, who get opportunities in different types of positions in the box," he added.

"A lot of number 10s play away from the box, but his box entries are very impressive, and he will get them right, and one day we'll sit here and talk a different story."

Amakhosi legend Doctor Khumalo is one of those who has come out to back Shabalala, insisting that he once found himself in the same situation.

“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,” Khumalo said.

“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.

As criticisms mount, the Chiefs star is adamant that he can deal with them without affecting his career.

“It took me some time to be able to handle criticism because when you’re young, you’re happy when they say good things about you, but when bad things are said, you can’t deal with them,” Shabalala said.

“But for now, I've been around players who've been in the same situations as mine and learnt from them. They also taught me," he added.

“And also being in this type of environment makes one grow because you can see things in a mature way, not with emotions.”

Criticism of Shabalala comes at a time when there is a raging debate on who is the best playmaker in the country.

Sipho Mbule and Patrick Maswanganganyi lead the options for Bafana Bafana's coach, Hugo Broos. In recent times, Relebohile Mofokeng has raised his profile with impressive performances as a playmaker.

When Broos names his squad for the 2026 World Cup finals, this is a position that will attract quite a bit of scrutiny.