Golgotha's son turning tables

Golgotha's son turning tablesInspiration to many on and off the field The saying that dynamite comes in small packages rings true; Peter Shalulile is a force to be reckoned with. LIMBA MUPETAMI

WINDHOEK



Namibian footballer Peter Shalulile is a man after everyone's heart.

If he's not scoring goals, he is celebrating those goals with what has become his trademark acrobatic jump.

If his fans are not talking about that, they are talking about his tucked-in shirt. Shalulile said his goal celebration and dress code on the field are inspired by his family and his upbringing.

“My goal celebration is all about being on the farm; when you are on the farm planting seeds, that is the secret behind the celebration,” he told SA FM last month.

“My family is in farming. When you are planting seeds on the farm that is how you do it. When you are happy while doing it, that's how it looks.”



Military style

Shalulile further revealed that his parents were in the military and insisted he dressed neatly, and being a football player, he took it onto the field.

“When you come home, you have to look neat and when you went to school, they made sure the T-shirt was not out and I got used to that and it became a habit,” he added.

The footballer is truly making the nation and his club Mamelodi Sundowns proud with the exceptional records he has set so far. But before he started being a menace to defenders, Shalulile' s interest was hockey at People's Primary School.

This interest was short-lived as he went on to Jan Jonker Afrikaner Secondary School in Katutura, where his love for football bloomed. If he wasn't at school, he would spend time in the streets of Golgotha where he grew up. Most who know Shalulile describe him as a humble, down-to-earth guy who is dedicated to his career, and at a time when most footballers' ambitions are about driving flashy cars associated with the bling life, he doesn't drink or associate with the party lifestyle.

He has three siblings and has become the inspiration to them and many upcoming football players who are trying to make it out of their daily struggles.

However, Shalulile's success doesn't come from just hoping and dreaming. He worked hard for it and stayed true to the values and discipline he was raised with.



Little steps to stardom

The former captain of the Warriors, Ronald Ketjijere, before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations championship, jokingly described Shalulile as a player who would always come around looking for money he has borrowed to a teammate.

“You won't get away from owing that guy, he would sit in your room in camp, waiting for his money, even if it's just N$100. That's him, he knows the value of money and is not someone who will spend it on unnecessary things,” Ketjijere said.

Sports reporter Marco Ndlovu tells a story of how Shalulile continued driving a Toyota Tazz even though his teammates would be seen in fancier cars.

“Most of his teammates ended up hanging with Shalulile in his Tazz in their free time. He is not someone who is fazed by material things,” Ndlovu said.

Others who have been around and saw the growth of the player from his days at Tura Magic say that he is a work machine.

At one time, said local football pundit and member of Magic Isack Hamata, Shalulile would hide injuries to avoid missing matches.

“He would turn up for a match, knowing very well that he had an injury. He would bandage his ankle and play like he had no pain. That's Shalulile.”

Sundowns king

As it stands, the footballer has scored eight goals for the Brazilians and three goals in the Confederation of African Football (Caf) championship with his club in the knockout stages.

Shalulile is a product of Magic, which he joined during their campaign in the Namibia Football Association's Khomas second division.

He then joined the Warriors, where his football skills quickly attracted attention. With his contribution, the team won their first-ever Council of Southern Africa Football Associations trophy in 2015.

His performance was noted and soon after he joined Highlands Park. At the 2019/20 season, he scooped the 16-goal golden boot. His social media posts in between have always expressed his gratitude to God as the One who helps him achieve great feats.

And maybe He does, as the Namibian soon after joined one of the richest clubs in Africa.

But the road to Sundowns was one filled with critique and doubt from former players and football pundits who thought Shalulile would warm the bench, with South African players poised to get the first 11 spots in the line-up.



Naysayers left eating dust

Those who concluded that he wouldn't make it included the likes of former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Doctor Khumalo and Sundowns goalkeeper Ronny Kanalelo. However, they ended up eating humble pie.

“I was one of the ones who said that Shalulile wouldn't make it at Sundowns, but the boy proved me wrong. I'm eating humble pie and I'm apologising to him and Sundowns,” Khumalo said later.

Kanalelo was one of the first people to voice doubts about the Namibian's move to Sundowns.

But he, too, owned up to his mistake in predicting that his countryman would struggle at the club.

Shalulile warmed the hearts of the technical team and instantly made the first 11 squad, and tirelessly continues to be a thorn in the flesh of opponents in the DStv Premiership.

At present, his side is also vying for a top position in the Caf championship, in which he has already scored three goals as they are in the knockout stages.

But although Shalulile is impressing local fans, the chance of him scooping the top goal scorer and best player awards hangs in the balance.

This is best explained by the PSL's first-ever footballer of the season, Wilfred 'Silver Fox' Mugeyi.

Mugeyi believes not scoring enough will hinder the Namibian's chances of being crowned the best player as strikers are always judged on goals.

“Mostly it's very rare to win without being a top goal scorer,” Mugeyi told KickOff.com. “But I give him a chance as well because I think he's doing very well. He's one of the hottest players at the moment. But where it's tricky now it's where you get the likes of Grobler being top goal scorers, and they are doing well as well.

“So, in that case, the likes of Grobler will take the player of the year, because he is doing two things-being a top goal scorer and playing well. Now we have got Shalulile who is playing well but not scoring enough goals. So, whom do you take? That's the trick because you cannot choose him over Grobler who is doing well in the goalscoring department. So, for him to win it, he needs to score goals.”

Shalulile is one to prove critics wrong. Time is what will turn the Namibian's fortunes around, according to a local fan, Paulus Fay.

“They said he will bench for Sundowns. Now he is the leading man in the team. It's like whenever someone says something negative about him, the opposite happens,” he said.

Shalulile is back in Namibia at the moment and is preparing for the upcoming Afcon qualifier clash against Guinea on Sunday.