Da Gama highlights Shalulile’s uniqueness as he nears Nomvethe’s record
As Peter Shalulile edges closer to Siyabonga Nomvethe’s record, Magesi FC coach Owen Da Gama has shared his insights into what makes the Mamelodi Sundowns striker exceptional.
Da Gama possesses firsthand knowledge of Shalulile’s abilities, having worked with the Namibian striker during their time together at Highlands Park. This prior experience provides the coach with unique insights as Shalulile approaches a significant milestone.
The Sundowns forward is now just four goals shy of surpassing Siyabonga Nomvethe’s record of 129 goals, the all-time highest goal tally in the PSL era.
Shalulile, affectionately known as ‘Shasha’, has amassed 125 goals to date. Since joining Sundowns in September 2020 at the age of 27, he has consistently demonstrated his prowess, solidifying his reputation as one of the most prolific and dangerous forwards in the SA top flight.
While Shalulile began the season with a period of inconsistent scoring, going five matches without a goal, he has diligently worked to rediscover his rhythm. To date, he has contributed eight goals in 31 appearances across all competitions for Sundowns.
Furthermore, Shalulile is just 12 goals short of surpassing the all-time Sundowns leading goalscorer record of 110 goals, held by Mambush Mudau.
OWEN DA GAMA COMMENDS PETER SHALULILE’S WORK ETHIC
According to Da Gama, Shalulile’s work ethic sets him apart, and he believes other players could benefit greatly from observing and emulating his approach to the game, which is propelling him towards greatness.
“I’m really proud of this boy. I mean, I always try to use him as an example to the other strikers, saying that the harder you work, the luckier you get. You have got to put it in. I mean, Peter Shalulile would stay behind and work for an hour. He would ask for extra work,” said Da Gama in Polokwane.
“I tell the players that you can’t behave like when you were in the NFD or the ABC Motsepe League. In the past, they used to say learn from your mistakes. Then, it evolved, they say learn from others’ mistakes. But it has evolved to a place now where we say learn from the best. You don’t learn from mistakes anymore. You learn from the best.
“I share a lot with them [other strikers] instances of Peter Shalulile, Simba Marumo, Surprise Moriri and some of the best strikers that I have worked with. One thing they had in common was that they worked hard, and they never gave up. You know, once God has given you a talent and you work hard on that talent, you can only prosper.”
Since arriving at Chloorkop, Shalulile has won numerous personal accolades and significantly contributed to Sundowns’ dominance in the SA elite league.
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