Coach Pitso Mosimane has turned the hands of time to reflect on former PSL and Bafana legend Katlego ‘Killer’ Mphela’s moment of magic. Mosimane was reacting to a video clip of Mphela’s wonder strike for Bafana posted on x-com (twitter). “I could not hold my emotions. I was the first one to hug him. By the way, this was an official FIFA game,” the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach tweeted.
The former Kaizer Chiefs striker scored via a free-kick for Bafana in a 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup third-place play off against Spain. The hosts Bafana lost the game 2-3 on June 28 2009 game. A fan calling himself DaReal_Msi had posted the video clip of the match. Msi was reacting to an interview Mphela granted on Sports Night Amplified with Andile Ncube on SABC Sport and Metro FM on November 15 2023.
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Why ex-Bafana mentor’s message left Mphela in tears
During the programme, Killer broke down in tears after receiving a heartfelt message from his former SuperSport United mentor. The ex-Al Ahly coach’s message left Mphela in tears during the live interview. Mphela, who now works with VW as a salesperson, spoke about a wide range of issues. He spoke about his football career and life in general. He delved into his retirement and the struggle to get a plan B for a career after football.
During the interview, a seemingly pre-recorded message from Mosimane was played for the former Jomo Cosmos player. The award-winning former mentor said: “…This is my message to my boy, Katlego Mphela. He is into sales now in the motor industry. Brilliant idea.”
Why former Bafana mentor Pitso Mosimane is still proud of Mphela
The CAF Champions League-winning mentor said he was proud of Mphela. The footballer earned the nickname of Killer for his knack for scoring goals regularly. Jingles then said it was his wish to see Killer back into football.
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What Jingles offered his former star
“With time, slowly, he must join soccer…[do] the coaching qualifications. If he has trouble with that, I am there to support him. I am just a phone call away,” Mosimane added.
In reaction, Killer go so emotion with tears visible in his eyes. The former forward could not believe that Mosimane still had faith in him even in retirement. Battling tears, Mphela drew a deep breath then reacted to Jingles’ complements: “I never expected this especially from coach Pitso Mosimane. Obviously, because, I know he is busy. He has heard about me and our relationship,” he said. “We have come a long way. He launched me because people don’t know about me when I was still in France.”
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What does Killer regrets the most?
The 38-year-old said, looking back, he should have listened more to the ex-Bafana mentor’s piece of advice. “He is someone I owe my life to. He is a father figure to me because he also spoke a bit about life… a lot of things. To be honest, he tried to advise me about life and if I listened to him more, I could have been more than what I am know.”
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Mphela was a top striker in his prime after having cut his teeth at Jomo Cosmos FC in 2003. The following season, Killer’s exploits as a fresh striker earned him a deal at Strasbourg in France. A loan move to Reims FC followed barely after a season for the striker. As is the case with most South African footballers, The ex-Bafana forward opted for a way back to Mzansi where he found home at SuperSport. Two seasons at SuperSport paved the way for a switch to rivals Sundowns in 2008. He donned Masandawana colours for four seasons then joined Chiefs. He retired from active football in the 2017 season.
The Brits-born player was Bafana’s leading marksman during the subsequent 2010 World Cup which South Africa hosted.
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