Siphiwe Tshabalala
Lawrence Siphiwe Tshabalala. Photo courtesy Globovisión
Lawrence Siphiwe Tshabalala had every South African screaming, ululating and blowing vuvuzelas on Friday 11 June 2010 when he scored the first goal of the FIFA World Cup during the opening game of the tournament between host nation South Africa and Mexico.
Playing in his 50th game for the national team, “Shabba” scored the historic goal in the second half, 55 minutes into the match.
A creative and talented midfielder and left-winger is always a marvel to watch, and defenders who have played against him know very well that he has a large and deep bag of tricks. Tshabalala is one to make things happen.
He was born on 25 September 1984 in Phiri, Soweto, and is the eldest child of Isaac and the late Hadifele Rebecca Tshabalala. His football career started at age seven when he played for Soweto-based Phiri Arsenal. Shortly after the stint at Phiri Arsenal he moved to Phiri Movers, and was then introduced into the Kaizer Chiefs youth development system. He made his way through the ranks before joining Alex United in the 2003/04 season and then played for Free State Stars from 2004 to 2007, whereafter he joined South African giants Kaizer Chiefs.
He made his international breakthrough in a friendly match between South Africa and Egypt on 14 February 2006, and cemented his place in the national team with a good performance during the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations. He was also a part of the team that played in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009.
Following his stunning opening goal of the World Cup, he was nominated for the 2010 FIFA Puskás award. The award was created by football's world governing body to honour the great legend, Ferenc Puskás, who died aged 76 in 2006. Puskas captained the Hungarian national team in the 1950s and scored 84 goals in 85 international games. The award is given based on the aesthetic qualities of the goal nominated. Tshabalala contested the award with 10 other players, including the great Lionel Messi. Turkish player Hamit Altıntop won the trophy.
Shabba is the second South African to be nominated for the award – Katlego Mphela’s goal against Spain in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009 was also nominated. Cristiano Ronaldo won the award that year.
One of Gauteng’s favourite sons has certainly etched his name into South African folklore.