Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile has broken his silence, addressing talks about his potential departure from the club while also sharing his thoughts on becoming the PSL’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Before the 2025/26 season kicked off, the prolific striker was reportedly pushing for an exit, with Tunisian powerhouse Esperance among the clubs vying for his signature.
Shalulile’s desire to leave came on the heels of reduced playing time under Sundowns’ head coach Miguel Cardoso. Despite his incredible goal-scoring record, the 31-year-old has only made five appearances this season across all competitions, netting just two goals.
Frustrated by his limited role, Shalulile took to social media, deleting every photo of his time at Sundowns from his official Instagram account. The move sent shockwaves through the football community, sparking widespread concern among fans who feared they were witnessing the end of a legendary era.
PETER SHALULILE CLEARS THE AIR ON MAMELODI SUNDOWNS EXIT RUMOURS
In a candid revelation, Shalulile admitted that his potential exit was stalled by a paperwork dispute. The striker explained he personally reached out to Sundowns’ chairman, Thlopie Motsepe, to facilitate his return to the team.
“For now, I won’t lie to you guys; I’m back. Things didn’t go well, you know. There were discussions and negotiations about paperwork,” said Shalulile.
“But I decided to call the chairman, and I told him, ‘Rather, let me come back with my experience and fight for my position’.”
PETER SHALULILE ON BREAKING SIYABONGA NOMVETHE’S PSL RECORD
Meanwhile, Shalulile also expressed his immense joy at setting a new PSL record. He’s now the SA top-flight’s all-time top goal scorer with 130 goals, surpassing the previous record of 129 held by former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana striker Siyabonga Nomvethe.
The Bafana Ba Style striker scored the record-breaking strike in their 1-0 win over Stellenbosch FC this past Saturday in the Betway Premiership tie.
”First of all, glory to God. I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and everyone who played their part in all the success that I have achieved,” he added.
“I believe that I wouldn’t have done it without my teammates. So, I also want to thank the president [Patrice Motsepe] of Mamelodi Sundowns for giving me the opportunity to come to Sundowns, and everyone, including the staff, for their support. This is a great feeling, but we strive for more and more goals, and we pray for many other goals to come.
”So, I believe you cannot score goals if you do not do extra training sessions, or you cannot break records if you know you’re not putting in the work. If you dream of something and you don’t put the work into it, you won’t achieve it. On my off days, I make sure to come to training and do my best to address the things that I know are weaknesses in me. I want to make positive changes and ensure that when I get opportunities in such situations, I bang the goals in.”
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