Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Tefu Mashamaite has named four players who he feels are Player of the Season contenders in the 2024-25 campaign.
Mamelodi Sundowns playmaker Lucas Rubeiro has been termed the favoutite to win the award after a stellar season that saw him emerge as the PSL top scorer with 16 goals.
However, while he agrees that Ribeiro is the top contender, Mashamaite says his Sundowns team-mate Iqraam Rayners, Orlando Pirates Relebohile Mofokeng and Thabo Moloisane of Stellenbosch FC also deserve to be mentioned in the same line.
Mashamaite names his PSL awards contenders
“I must say Lucas Ribeiro took over – he dominated every match, he brought flair to the game, he scored goals and just had this aura of a star,” Mashamaite told iDiski Times.
“He deserved to win the accolade this year. And the fact that his team won the championship should play a big role in him being Player of the Season.
“Relebohile [Mofokeng] has done very well and continued where he left off from his rookie season. He scored goals in some important games for Pirates, and his stock has just been rising. Iqraam Rayners is another one who really impressed me. As a country, we now have a consistent scorer in him, and there can be no denying his scoring qualities.
How did the other three players perform?
“And then there’s Thabo Moloisane, who has been an ever-present and consistently high performer in the Stellenbosch defence. He was very important to Stellies having the good season that they had in finishing third yet again and reaching the semis of the Confed Cup. The others would be my finalists, but Ribeiro is my Player of the Season.”
Rayners was the second top scorer in the league with 14 goals while Mofokeng was the leading light at Pirates, scoring 12 goals, six in the league, while providing 15 assists as the Buccaneers finished second, won the MTN8 and reached the CAF Champions League semi-final as well as the Nedbank Cup final.
Moloisane was crucial to Stellies’ run to third place in the league as well as the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final and MTN8 final.
