Where is Kaizer Chiefs’ Sergio Ramos today?

Kaizer Chiefs had Tefu Mashamaite to thank for several critical goals, important clearances and plenty in between during his stint at the club.

Tefu Mashamaite was a relative goal machine for Kaizer Chiefs

Look at many a striker’s goal ratio in the DStv Premiership and the numbers aren’t exactly mind-boggling. Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana would bite your hand off for these stats. Mashamaite bagged 11 goals & five assists in 121 appearances for the Glamour Boys across all competitions. That’s exactly a goal every 11 games. How does that stack up to one of the best defenders in the history of the sport? Real Madrid and Spain icon Sergio Ramos scored a staggering 101 goals in 671 appearances for Los Blancos. He was not only the best defender of his generation but also the best goal-scoring defender the beautiful game has ever seen. To score a goal every 11 appearances in the notoriously low-scoring PSL is quite an achievement.

Barcelona v Real Madrid — Sergio Ramos clashing with Lionel Messi in El Clasico. PHOTO: CURTO DE LA TORRE / AFP

Mashamaite’s CV wasn’t bad!

In his heyday, the 39-year-old was a colossus for Chiefs in the centre of defence. He captained Amakhosi between 2011 and 2015 before trying his hand in Sweden with Hacken. He’s a two-time DStv Premiership winner with Chiefs in 2013 and 2015 alongside Bafana legend Tsepo Masilela, making 121 appearances in the black & gold strip.

Committed to being a scholar, and maybe a sports lawyer?

Mashamaite retired from football in 2018 and launched The Collective Sports Agency (TCSA) three years later. His work in that area isn’t limited to football. In 2005 he graduated with a BA in International Relations and Politics at Wits and got a national certificate in agriculture in 2021. In 2023 he told Radio 2000 that he wants to continue studying.

“I’m about to complete my Sports Management studies, through a program run by FIFA.

“Upon graduating, I’m hoping to complete my Sports Law diploma, it’s also an international course run by FIFA,”

Tefu points to Orlando Pirates and Sundowns as examples

Back to the pitch now and Chiefs have one more game of their season and are still unsure of MTN8 qualification for next term. They’ll have to beat relegated Spurs on the final day of the campaign and hope the teams around them in the table don’t manage big wins. The table is so congested that Chiefs, AmaZulu and Polokwane all have 36 points while Golden Arrows have 35 and Chippa have 34. All of these sides are fighting for one place and it could easily boil down to goal difference. AmaZulu and Arrows meet in the only direct battle here.

Mashamaite, via iDiskiTimes, pointed to the discernable gap between his old side and the current South African champions Sundowns. Even arch-rivals Orlando Pirates, without a league crown since 2011, have added plenty of silverware to their trophy cabinet in the interim. The Buccaneers did a domestic cup double last season and are just a Nedbank Cup final against Sundowns away from repeating the feat. Mashamaite, part of the Chiefs class of 2015 who won the league under Scotsman Stuart Baxter, wants the Glamour Boys to do things modernly.