Kaizer Chiefs News Today: Baartman credits Da Cruz impact, Tshabalala on World Cup milestone & more

Latest Kaizer Chiefs news, including forward Luke Baartman crediting Fernando Da Cruz for his development, and club legend Siphiwe Tshabalala opening up on his World Cup history with Bafana Bafana.

Baartman on Da Cruz’s role in his progress

Kaizer Chiefs forward Luke Baartman has revealed how head coach Fernando Da Cruz has helped him continue his development since becoming a regular in the Amakhosi first team.

The 19-year-old has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2026/27 season, featuring in all eight league matches and scoring once as he looks to build on a disrupted debut campaign.

Baartman says listening to Da Cruz and taking the coach’s advice on board has been key to his progress at Naturena.

“I think it’s as coach said, that’s just for me to listen to him and I think he’s helping me a lot with doing better and getting better,” Baartman said, as per iDiski Times.

Having come through the youth structures at Cape Town Spurs, Baartman understands the significance of representing one of South Africa’s biggest clubs. He endured a lengthy transfer saga before eventually joining Chiefs as a free agent following Spurs’ relegation, but has since established himself as an important part of the squad.

“Playing for a big club like Chiefs is a massive honour, so where I come from in Cape Town it’s very, very big to play for a club like Chiefs,” he added.

Shabalala on being first Chiefs player to score at World Cup

Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana legend Siphiwe Tshabalala has taken pride in being the first Amakhosi player to score at the FIFA World Cup.

‘Shabba’ became the first player to score in the continent’s first ever World Cup, netting at FNB Stadium as South Africa opened their 2010 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Mexico. South Africa would go on to crash out at the group stage, losing 3-0 to Uruguay and beating France 2-1, with Mexico pipping them to the knockout rounds.

During his playing days, the Phiri-born left-footer made 334 appearances for Chiefs between 2007 and 2018, scoring 55 goals and providing 85 assists, while earning 91 caps for South Africa with 12 goals and 10 assists.

Tshabalala says the goal against Mexico was never about chasing records, but something he can look back on with pride, speaking to the Chiefs website as relayed by iDiski Times.

“It was an incredible achievement to score at a World Cup and also to be the first Kaizer Chiefs player to do so,” he said.

“When our stories are being told and put in the archive, my name will be there forever. For me, it was never about breaking records; it was about playing to the best of my ability, and that helped me achieve all the accolades that came with scoring against Mexico.”