Listing all of the best Kaizer Chiefs players in history would be impossible but we’ll try our best. Is Khune in your top five?
The greatest Kaizer Chiefs players of the modern era
BERNARD PARKER
You cannot argue with Bernard Parker’s goal stats as a Kaizer Chiefs player. After all, it is goals that win games, and Parker did plenty of that for the Glamour Boys. He won four major honours with Amakhosi, including two DStv Premiership titles. He falls into the “underrated” bracket for sure.
COLLINS MBESUMA
Speaking of goals, who will ever forget the goal-scoring exploits of Zambian marksman Collins Mbesuma? His antics in the penalty area earned him a move to Portsmouth in 2005. All-in-all, Mbesuma bagged 55 goals in 173 DStv Premiership clashes. 25 goals in the 2004-05 season remains a record that is unlikely to be touched. And it belongs to Mbesuma.
Photo Credit©Duif du Toit Gallo Images
JABU PULE
An entertainer in the true sense of the word, Jabu Pule took our collective breath away with a quintessentially South African flair. No list of modern Chiefs greats is complete without mentioning this man. What a player!
ITUMELENG KHUNE
Itumeleng Issac Khune was the rare honour of being a one-club man. Famous around the world for his sensational distribution of a football, he’s also displayed superb shot-stopping abilities for club and country down the years. Khune made his PSL debut for Amakhosi against Jomo Cosmos in August 2007. In the 17 years that have elapsed, he has scooped seven major honours with the Glamour Boys, including three DStv Premiership crowns in 2005, 2013 and 2015. This guy was also PSL Footballer of the Year in 2013. Say what you will, but Khune is a bona fide Amakhosi legend. He’s also got 91 Bafana caps.
DOCTOR KHUMALO
“16 Valve” was an African champion with Bafana Bafana in 1996 and he regularly dazzled audiences in a Kaizer Chiefs jersey and’s fondly remembered for his wonderful vision and passing ability. To this day, his tally of 397 starts for Amakhosi is an all-time record. How much more legendary does it get than that?
SHOES MOSHOEU
John “Shoes” Mosheou was the ultimate playmaker, combining silky skills and his ability to dictate play from the heart of midfield. Shoes was an AFCON winner in 1996 and then represented South Africa at France 1998. Are there any modern equivalents of his skill set? What a gifted footballer. Pure silk and skill.
Two stints with Chiefs, alongside a spell with Turkish giants Fenerbache, make Shoes a legit cult figure of football.
SIPHIWE TSHABALALA
An assist machine from the left side of midfield, Shabba was equally capable of tucking into more central areas and holding onto the ball to slow things down. A seriously underrated footballer in large parts of South Africa, but Chiefs fans knew all about his gifts. When Shabba scored THAT goal against Mexico in 2010, the world knew his name.
ERICK TOWER MATHOHO
Born back in 1990 in the Limpopo suburb of Tshiombo, Eric Mathoho was a key pillar in Amakhosi’s glorious Betway Premiership and MTN8 double in 2014/15, making 25 PSL appearances in that campaign. Overall, the big man notched 26 goals in 259 appearances in the famous black and gold jersey. That’s quite a tally for a central defender, with those strikes coming once every 10 games on average. Sergio Ramos would be proud. Mathoho also earned 34 Bafana Bafana caps.
![Kaizer Chiefs' Eric Mathoho [VIDEO]](http://www.thesouthafrican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Eric_Mathoho-2048x1152.webp)
Who are your favourite Chiefs stars of the modern era?
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