By
Kaizer Chiefs winger Keagan Dolly is widely considered one of the greatest finds in South African football in his era, but what he has seen from teenage teammate Mduduzi Shabalala is special, he says.
Promoted to the senior team just last season, Shabalala is not your typical modern academy graduate but a naturally gifted player from Soweto.
Dolly, whose skills were honed at the renowned School of Excellence, Mamelodi Sundowns, and briefly Ajax Cape Town academy, shares more on what the 18-year-old has to offer.
"Ja, I think he has a lot of confidence, you can see when he's on the ball, he's not afraid to play. And I think the boy loves the game, he wants to achieve and you can see he's taking risks whenever he gets the opportunity.
"You could see when he went on trial overseas that he wants to achieve and I think that's a key factor that he has. I think it's very important for us as senior players to try and help them [youngsters] on and off the field."
"But, for us, it's mainly to lead by example on the field – carry ourselves like professionals and just try to talk to them when there's time to spend together during team-buildings.
"But I think, with the boys that got opportunities to play now, they're very humble and, coming from the academy, they know what it takes to be part of the team."
Shabalala was brought to The Village in 2019 by current Chiefs reserve team and former under-19 coach Vela Khumalo, who had watched him in Soweto and recommended him for the senior team.
‘Mdu’ has already been to trials in Belgium and trained briefly with Villareal in Spain, where it’s believed that some of the teams are still interested in his services.
