‘Siphiwe Tshabalala tried to get me to JOIN Kaizer Chiefs’ – Pirates legend

Orlando Pirates legend Thulasizwe Mbuyane revealed that former Bafana Bafana winger Siphiwe Tshabalala tried to get him to join Kaizer Chiefs.

The Mpumalanga Black Aces forward broke out at Free State Stars in 2007 and was snatched by the Buccaneers a year later. Speaking on the Trap and Pass podcast, Mbuyane said ‘Shabba’ wanted him to join Amakhosi but the move never happened.

“When I was in Free State…initially, I was supposed to go to Kaizer Chiefs. Things got mixed up and I don’t know how. I saw myself in the newspapers. According to me, I was supposed to be at Chiefs,” said the Pirates legend.

Mbuyane made a big move from Free State Stars to Pirates in 2008 under Dutch coach Ruud Krol.

“When i signed for Orlando Pirates, I was earning R34 000. When I arrived, there was still the Telkom Charity Cup. They said if we win it, we won’t win the league, it was like a superstition or curse. After the Telkom, it was the SA Super 8, my first game for Pirates was during the Super 8 against SuperSport United,” he said.

Orlando Pirates legend waited for Chiefs but nothing happened

“The nerves were there but because I already played a few games during the pre-season, I was fine after a few minutes,” Mbuyane added.

Despite being a fan favourite at Orlando Pirates, Mbuyane did not impress fans in his first game.

“I missed a sitter, and immediately after the ball went to their side and Teferra Fikru scored with a bicycle kick and SuperSport won 2-1. I was stressed after the match because we lost.”

In the six years at Pirates, Mbuyane and Tshabalala faced each other many times and eventually became legends of their respective clubs.

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