Thabo Cele gives Man of the Match award to ‘extraordinary’ Chiefs teammate
Displaying remarkable team spirit, Thabo Cele gave his Man of the Match award to an ‘extraordinary’ Kaizer Chiefs teammate. The 28-year-old was playing only his seventh match in Amakhosi colours.
Following the 3-1 win over Stellenbosch FC on Saturday night, the KwaMashu-born midfielder was named the best player. However, the former South Africa youth international felt someone else deserved it even more and handed the award over to him.
Cele joined Amakhosi in January from Fakel Voronezh of Russia and has been impressive for the club. The talented midfielder has become key for Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi, playing in a defensive midfield role.
On Saturday, he lined up alongside Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, with Gaston Sirino playing ahead of them in the 10 role. Chiefs got their goals through Miguel Inacio, Pule Mmodi and Mfundo Vilakazi.
WHICH TEAMMATE DID THABO CELE GIVE THE MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD
However, in the Nedbank quarterfinal clash, ‘The Mayor’ was so impressed by Ngcobo’s display that he made a heartwarming move to give him the award. It was Ngcobo’s first start of the season.
After his impressive cameo in an unfamiliar 6 role against Magesi FC, Nabi paired him with Cele in midfield. The gifted midfielder did not disappoint, playing a blinder for 79 minutes. Cele and Ngcobo complemented each other well in the heart of midfield.
“Cele headed over to Mshini after the post-match interview and gave him his Man of the Match award. He felt Mshini was extraordinary and more deserving of the award. He’s been a leader in the dressing room despite being here for a few weeks,” said a teammate who witnessed the exchange.
Last week, Nabi said Ngcobo was “a very technical player and very smart”. The Tunisian mentor added: “But we want him to be a bit more physical in his game because when you play in the middle of the park, there’s not enough space, people get to you very quickly. We need him to get that quality in his game.”
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