Black Leopards’ new Namibian striker Bethuel Muzeu has disclosed that a hearty conversation with his Mamelodi Sundowns compatriot Peter Shalulile partly influenced his decision to join Lidoda Duvha.
The 22-year-old was responding to FARPost’s question on whether he contacted the DStv Premiership star Shalulile to seek his opinion before coming to South Africa.
“He gave me a good piece of advice, and I can say that he was behind my signature for Leopards in terms of encouraging me to go for it,” he said.
Muzeu said the award-winning Sundowns star said all the good things about South African football; hence he did not hesitate to put pen to paper with the Motsepe Foundation Championship side.
“It is something nice that I am finally here. He called me, actually. We talked, and he convinced me to come here to South Africa, saying it is a good league,” he tells FARPost.
The Brave Warriors emerging forward said Shalulile is his role model and promised to build a strong reputation in South Africa by scoring goals.
“My message to the supporters for Black Leopards is that they must not miss any game because it is going to be a great journey. I will show them the stuff that I am made of. It is expected of a striker that you need to score, but if you cannot score, you need to assist others to score, so simply that is my style,” Muzeu added.
The 22-year-old player said he was finding his feet at Leopard, adding that he had received a hearty welcome from teammates.
Sources at the Limpopo-based side confirmed that they had tied down the Namibian international to a one-year contract with an option for an extension.
Efforts to talk to Leopards officials proved futile, but his agent Olsen Kahiriri told the New Era newspaper of Namibia that his client swayed Leopards coaches after a glowing showing at the recent Cosafa Cup held in Durban.
Kahiriri told the newspaper that the option for the extension of the contract hinged on Lidoda Duvha’s promotion to the DStv Premiership at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
“We decided to first introduce him and his skills to professional football by signing for a first division team. This will also ease up pressure on him and give him a chance to work his way up to the top,” Kahiriri is quoted saying.
He said the player was excited at the prospect of playing in the South African league as he sought to raise his profile.
“He is in high spirits and confident when I spoke to him. He can’t wait to start the new season with Black Leopards. It’s a great move for him, given the fact that there isn’t active football in this country, so we don’t want to waste his talent,” Kahiriri said.
Muzeu was a key member of the Brave Warriors of Namibia, who impressed neutrals after reaching the final and lost 1-0 to Zambia.
Muzeu was on target when Namibia beat Madagascar in the Cosafa Cup quarterfinal.
He then scored the Brave Warriors’ only goal in the 1-0 semifinal win over Mozambique on 15 July in Durban.
Bethuel Muzeu played for Namibian clubs such as Tura Magic, Tom, Jerry and Kasaona FA, leading them to the 2022 Ramblers-Bank Windhoek Under-21 inaugural tournament title while also emerging as the top scorer.
RELATED STORY: Namibian striker joins PSL side
