Johannesburg - Peter Shalulile’s faith in his scoring abilities are not shaken even in his darkest hour. That he endured a dry spell upon the restart in front of goals didn’t make him a bad striker overnight. Instead, that feat actually motivated him to work harder.
Upon arriving at Mamelodi Sundowns last season from neighbours Highlands Park, a lot was expected from the Namibian goal poacher. And he did so well that he scored 22 goals while registering eight assists in 39 games across all competitions.
Shalululile was so good that his exploits inspired ‘Downs to their record fourth title in a row, and 11th in total. His exploits didn’t go unnoticed as he bagged the league’s Footballer and Players' Player of the Season gongs at the award ceremony.
Shalulile didn’t rest on his laurels in his second season with the club, inspiring the team to the MTN8, a title that had eluded them for the past 14 years. On a personal note, before the Christmas break, he had scored 17 goals across all competitions.
But upon the restart, the goals dried up for the marksman as he went five games without scoring once, locally and continental. But even in the midst of that dry spell, the Brazilians’ technical team remained with Shalulile as their No. 9.
“To be honest as a striker, it is important for you to score and get confidence. But in those days when I was not scoring, weeks, months I guess, I just kept the faith. We all go through the journey, even the best in Europe,” Shalulile said.
“But they do not give up because we are just being tested. Eventually, you’ll get the breakthrough – and you’ll start scoring again. Just like I am doing now (having scored four goals in as many games, two in the league and two on the continent)”.
Quizzed on what led to the change of fortunes of late, he said: “I just did more. There’s nothing you can do when things are not going your way. But one thing I’ve learned is to be patient. And I’ve never stopped doing good even if it’s not for me.”
This season so far, Shalulile has scored 21 goals and registered six assists in 34 matches. He’s only missed out on two games for Downs. So it could have been that fatigue took a toll on him, hence the decline of form in front of goal before.
Although he's not aiming to match or surpass Daniel Mambush’s 110-goal tally for the club or become the first player to win back-to-back Footballer of the Season awards since Teko Modise, Shalulile still believes that anything is possible.
“Well, to be honest, it’s not about chasing records. It’s about making sure that the team wins trophies,” he said. “And with that comes blessings. So that’s why I say that anything that has been set by human beings is possible to achieve.”
He added: “But if you put that first you’ll lose your mind. And when things go wrong, you’ll be frustrated and all that. But for now, I am just making sure I am helping the team to do well. But it’s possible. Anything that is set by humans is possible.”