Former PSL Golden Boot winner Ishmael Maluleke has explained why he believes Bradley Grobler won’t dethrone Peter Shalulil, predicting that the PSL goal king’s record will stand safe for at least the next five seasons.
The Namibian international, Shalulile, recently surpassed a record previously held by Kaizer Chiefs legend Siyabonga Nomvethe to become the PSL leading goals scorer with 130 goals.
Despite having officially retired in 2018, the 47-year-old Nomvethe remains second on the list with 29 goals. But Sekhukhune United forward Grobler, who has been in fine form this season, is only seven goals behind Shalulile.
While Shalulile has struggled for game time at Mamelodi Sundowns this season, Grobler has already netted eight goals for his new side in all competitions so far.
However, Maluleke, who won the PSL top goal scorer award while at Manning Rangers in the 2001/02 season with 18 goals, believes no player will catch Shalulile’s record within the next five seasons, including Grobler.
This is despite Grobler being only five goals behind Shalulile, a gap that looks increasingly bridgeable given the Namibian’s current struggle for form and limited playing time under coach Miguel Cardoso at Masandawana.
WHY ISHMAEL MALULELEKE BELIEVES IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO CATCH PETER SHALULILE’S RECORD
“It’s not going to be easy to catch Shalulile, 130 goals is a big record,” Maluleke told FARPost.
“You need to look at Bradley Grobler, a person who has been in the league for a long time, and I think he is over 30 now. So if he was still a bit young, he would stand a chance to break that record.
“I think it’s still going to take some time to reach the 130 goals. So I don’t see him doing that because if Grobler suffers injuries, he always takes time to recover. So I see Shalulile staying with this record for five years,” he added.
Maluleke also stated that: “It’s impressive that strikers are scoring goals. That’s what supporters need to see.
“Supporters are not happy when goals are not scored because they always want to celebrate. Irrespective of whoever is scoring, whether it’s their club or their opponents.
“So I think now that we have two top seasonal strikers who are scoring goals, it makes the league very exciting.”
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