Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Xola Mlambo has heaped praise on PSL Midfielder of the Season winner Makhehlene Makhaula.
The decision to award Makhehlene Makhaula the Betway Premiership Midfielder of the Season has been a major topic of discussion within the football community, especially given the stiff competition.
He beat out two strong contenders from Mamelodi Sundowns: Teboho Mokoena, who featured in 22 league games with two goals and three assists, and Marcelo Allende, who played 24 matches, scoring two goals and providing four assists.
With Makhaula only registering one goal in his 22 matches, the award highlighted the often-overlooked work of defensive midfielders.
Nonetheless, Ben Motshwari, a former teammate of Makhaula at AmaZulu, offered a different perspective, suggesting that a significant area of improvement in the 35-year-old's game made him a deserving winner.
MLAMBO ON MAKHAULA – ‘HE DOES A LOT OF DIRTY JOBS’
“He has been an unsung hero for Pirates, when Pirates plays and there's (Makhaula) there, you might not see him but when he's not there you will see his absence, because he does a lot of dirty jobs, he makes sure there's stability,” Mlambo said on Switch On Network YouTube Channel.
“He's the spine. His contribution in winning the balls… And I saw something different about ‘Cass' (Makhaula) last season, I played with him, not that I'm bias. I saw Cass going inside the opponents box, trying to create goals.
“For a destroyer, it says a lot. It definitely shows age is just a number. If a person has been given an opportunity and he's saying I'm grabbing the opportunity with both hands. I don't think a lot of people expected Makhaula to be a starter when he went to Pirates but look at what he did.”
