Siphiwe Tshabalala's decade of loyalty to Kaizer Chiefs

The journey continues for Siphiwe Tshabalala as a Kaizer Chiefs player.

By  | Jun 22, 2020, 01:46 PM  | Siphiwe Tshabalala  | Top of The

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Siphiwe Tshabalala 10 year journey with Kaizer Chiefs

Straight from playing for Free State Stars, Siphiwe Tshabalala joined Kaizer Chiefs in 2007. 10 years later, he is still with the football club and this week he is celebrating his 10-year journey with the club.

The 32-year-old Soweto-born Kaizer Chiefs midfielder and captain Siphiwe Tshabalala, took to social media to thank the Chairman of the team, Bobby Motaung, his family, friends and fans for supporting him since the first day he joined the club.

Back in 2007 I made my dream move from @fs.stars to @kcfcofficial.soon after signing with the team I went for medicals and I was shocked by the results that my knee was not ok and it needed surgery.i was so devastated and I thought Chiefs were going to terminate my contract instead they were very supportive especially Bobby Motaung.my operation was a success and I was on the sidelines for 6 months. Once again I would like to thank those who were with me from day one.family,friends my wife my manager Jazzman,players and coaches past and [email protected] thank you for granting me the opportunity to do what I love and to the Amakhosi nation ,I thank you for your love and support. It has been a great 10 years of my career. The journey continues ✌✌ Baie dankie mdali ☝

A photo posted by Siphiwe Tshabalala (@siphiweshabba) on

The official Twitter page of Kaizer Chiefs posted a snippet of Siphiwe's photos with his achievements included in the caption. During his 10-year journey with Kaizer Chiefs, Sphiwe scored the opening goal at the 2010 World Cup, his goal got nominated for the FIFA Puskas Award and earned him international acclaim.

Shabba’s decade of Love & Peace “When they broke the news that I had a (left) knee problem, I thought that was the end of my dream,” Siphiwe ‘Shabba’ Tshabalala reminiscences of the early days at Kaizer Chiefs. The midfielder made the big move to Kaizer Chiefs from Free State Stars on this day a decade ago (10 January 2007). “I signed the contract and went for medical tests,” Tshabalala continues. “It was then when I thought things could have gone pear shape. I was convinced that the news of the knee problem would mean that Chiefs was going to terminate the contract.” “I took the news bravely though,” reveals an emotional Shabba. “I was happily surprised to receive the support from Kaizer Chiefs. Football Manager Bobby Motaung encouraged me to focus on the recovery, which I did.” It wasn’t to be. Shabba would go on and enjoy ten glorious years as a Glamour Boy. He played 88 times for Bafana Bafana with his 2010 World Cup exploits earning him international acclaim. Tshabalala scored the opening goal at the 2010 World Cup, which was hosted in South Africa. His goal was nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award. The Soweto-born midfielder had to wait on the sidelines for six months before making his debut for Amakhosi against Bidvest Wits on 31 August 2007. “I made my debut against Wits under the mentorship of coach Muhsin Ertugral,” recalls Shabba. Remarkably, under Muhsin I missed only one game in two seasons and that was because of suspension.” In his decade at Chiefs, Tshabalala has collected several gold medals, including two Absa Premiership titles, two MTN8, three Telkom Knockout and one Nedbank Cup. He was selected as the Safa Footballer of the Year in 2010. The midfielder played in 315 (official) games for Amakhosi, which includes league, cup and African cup games. He started in 286, coming on in a further 29 matches, scoring 47 goals in total. “I wish to thank the Almighty for the opportunity to wear Kaizer Chiefs colours for such a long time,” says Shabba. “Mostly, I would like to thank my parents. I wish to thank the Chairman, Mr Motaung, for his leadership and for affording me this opportunity. I wish to thank the entire management and staff for their suppo

A video posted by Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (@kcfcofficial) on

With his consistency and loyalty, Tshabalala deserves all the opportunities he has been given, support and the success he has worked hard for.

Speaking of Kaizer Chiefs, the football club turned 47 on 7 January, but the team celebrated its birthday yesterday with a Kaizer Chiefs inspired cake. #KC47Birthday 

Image Credit: Instagram

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