Katlego Mphela

Katlego Mphela

Personal information
Full name	Katlego Abel Mphela
Date of birth	(1984-11-29) 29 November 1984
Place of birth	Brits, South Africa
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Early Birds
	Arcadia Shepherds
	Orlando Pirates
	Jomo Cosmos
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2004	Jomo Cosmos	2	(1)
2004–2006	Strasbourg	19	(5)
2005–2006	→ Reims (loan)	5	(2)
2006–2008	SuperSport United	62	(10)
2008–2014	Mamelodi Sundowns	116	(48)
2014–2015	Kaizer Chiefs	15	(3)
2015–2017	Royal Eagles	28	(9)
Total		247	(78)
International career
2005–2007	South Africa U-23	7	(5)
2005–2013	South Africa	53	(23)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Katlego Abel Mphela (born 29 November 1984) is a South African retired professional footballer who played as a forward.

Club career

Mphela, a product of Jomo Cosmos, played in France for RC Strasbourg Alsace and Stade de Reims, both with limited success.

After returning home he turned out for SuperSport United for the 2007–08 season before joining Mamelodi Sundowns the following season. He then finished the 2009–10 season with 17 goals in 30 games which made him the league's top goalscorer. He won the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot and was voted PSL Players' Player of the Season.

Mphela joined Chiefs in 2014. He made his debut in a 2–2 draw against Maritzburg United. He scored his first goal for Chiefs against Free State Stars but it was cancelled out almost immediately in a 1–1 draw. Mphela scored on the last league match of the season in the 55th minute against AmaZulu in a 3–0 win.

After two years out of action, 34-year old Mphela announced his retirement in August 2019. He also announced, that he would begin as a coach and that he already was coaching youth players.

International career

Mphela scored a brace on his debut for the South Africa national team against Seychelles on 26 February 2005.

He has represented South Africa 53 times, scoring 23 goals. He scored South Africa's only goal in the 3–1 defeat against Tunisia in the 2008 African Nations Cup.

Perhaps Mphela's greatest moment came in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup third-place playoff against Spain. Coming in as a substitute Mphela produced arguably the goal of the tournament with a free kick from 30 yards, which turned out to be the last action of the 90 mins, sending the game into extra time.

Mphela was included in South Africa's 23-man final squad for the 2010 World Cup. He played in the inaugural match against Mexico, which ended 1–1. Next, the Bafana Bafana played against Uruguay, but they lost the game 3–0. In their final group game, he scored the 2nd goal in a 2–1 win against France as South Africa exited the competition.

Mphela opened the scoring in South Africa's first international match following the 2010 World Cup putting South Africa up 1–0 against Ghana.

Mphela scored the winner for South Africa against Egypt in the 93rd minute with a perfect finish that saw the North Africans beaten by South Africa for the first time in competitive football between the two countries and increased the hopes of qualification.

Mphela also participated in the 2013 African Cup of Nations tournament.

Style of play

His style of play includes challenging defenders with both pace and strength but he can still play deep as a supporting striker. He is nicknamed "Killer" for his finishing ability.

Career statistics

International goals

Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mphela goal.

List of international goals scored by Katlego Mphela

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	26 February 2005	Stade George V, Curepipe, Mauritius	Seychelles	1–0	3–0	2005 COSAFA Cup
2				2–0
3	27 February 2005	Stade George V, Curepipe, Mauritius	Mauritius	1–0	1–0	2005 COSAFA Cup
4	27 January 2008	Tamale Stadium, Tamale, Ghana	Tunisia	1–3	1–3	2008 Africa Cup of Nations
5	28 June 2009	Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa	Spain	1–0	2–3	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
6				2–2
7	12 August 2009	Super Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa	Serbia	1–3	1–3	Friendly
8	19 September 2009	Griquas Park, Kimberley, South Africa	Madagascar	1–0	1–0	Friendly
9	3 March 2010	Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa	Namibia	1–1	1–1	Friendly
10	16 May 2010	Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa	Thailand	2–0	4–0	Friendly
11				3–0
12	27 May 2010	Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa	Colombia	2–1	2–1	Friendly
13	31 May 2010	Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa	Guatemala	1–0	5–0	Friendly
14				4–0
15	5 June 2010	Atteridgeville Super Stadium, Atteridgeville, South Africa	Denmark	1–0	1–0	Friendly
16	22 June 2010	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa	France	2–0	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup
17	11 August 2010	Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa	Ghana	1–0	1–0	Friendly
18	4 September 2010	Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa	Niger	1–0	2–0	2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
19	26 March 2011	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Egypt	1–0	1–0	2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
20	10 August 2011	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Burkina Faso	1–0	3–0	Friendly
21				3–0
22	12 November 2011	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa	Ivory Coast	1–1	1–1	Friendly
23	3 June 2012	Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa	Ethiopia	1–1	1–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

External links

• Katlego Mphela – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Katlego Mphela at National-Football-Teams.com
• Katlego Mphela at ESPN FC