Johannesburg - The Shabalala homestead in Soweto will be a house divided this weekend when son Mduduzi represents archrivals Kaizer Chiefs against family club Orlando Pirates.
Born and bred in Senaoane, Soweto, Shabalala was a staunch Pirates supporter in his childhood but that has all changed ...
“It’s true, I grew up supporting Pirates. But since joining Chiefs, I’ve changed to become a Chiefs supporter and I’ll die a Chiefs fan,” Shabalala said.
“I’ve influenced my mother, sisters, and young brother to support Chiefs. But my father is still refusing to jump ship. Even now, he’s saying that he’s going to beat me,” the 19-year-old added.
As an aspiring footballer, it was Shabalala’s dream to don the famous black and white jersey of the Sea Robbers, but after a trial at Pirates, Shabalala opted to join their rivals.
“I trialled at Pirates first but I then went back to my coach at the time and told him it was easy there and I wanted to challenge myself,” Shabalala explained.
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“I then went to Chiefs, where I trialled for four months. And that’s what I wanted – a challenge. And that’s what I got as I was promoted to the reserve team.”
Shabalala was so good in Chiefs’ reserves that he was selected to trial in Belgium and Spain last year after impressive performances for
South Africa in the Cosafa Under-17 tournament.
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The attacker has grown in leaps and bounds since his breakthrough in the development ranks and junior national teams and he earned himself a long-term first team contract at Chiefs in July.
Under the guidance of coach Arthur Zwane, who worked with Shabalala in Chiefs’ youth ranks, he has become one of the promising talents in the local top-flight.
“I was 18 when I joined Kaizer Chiefs. And he (Zwane) was the first coach to promote me to the reserves. So I know what he wants and I’ve adjusted well in the team,” Shabalala explained.
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Shabalala has matured under Zwane’s guidance and he feels he’s not a boy anymore and that’s why he cannot afford to undermine himself.
“It (the mentality) helps you to fight in the game. It always helps to think that you are good enough so that you don’t look down on yourself,” Shabalala said.
“You can see what is happening in football. There are young players who are playing in the best leagues, including Barcelona’s Pedri.
"Kylian Mbappe has played in * two World Cup finals, and won one, at 24 years of age. So, you’ll be a small boy until when?
“You always have to give your best and ensure that you fight for your position in each and every game.”
Thanks to that mentality and work ethic, Shabalala is in line to play in the biggest match on the local sporting calendar this weekend.
Chiefs will host their rivals Pirates in the 177th edition of the Soweto Derby on Saturday - in a match that will be taxing for Shabalala and Co as they’ll be the underdogs.
En route to the derby, which could decide the two teams' quest for Champions League football next season, Chiefs lost, while Pirates won.
That sees Amakhosi remain fifth on the standings, five points behind the second-placed SuperSport United, while Pirates are third.
Shabalala knows what’s at stake and what it will take for them to come out on top and ease the pressure on the team.
“We need to get all three points. So it’s not going to be an easy game. I expect to make mistakes since it’s my first derby but I have to fight hard and dig deeper,” Shabalala said.