Kaizer Chiefs said goodbye to one of their most adored club legends in 2023. Here’s why Eric Mathoho deserves his flowers.
The golden years for Kaizer Chiefs
Born all the way back in 1990 in the Limpopo suburb of Tshiombo, Eric Mathoho was a key pillar in Amakhosi’s glorious DStv Premiership and MTN8 double in 2014/15, making 25 PSL appearances in that campaign. Overall, the big man notched 26 goals in 259 appearances in the famous black and gold jersey. That’s quite a tally for a central defender, with those strikes coming once every 10 games on average. Sergio Ramos would be proud. Mathoho also earned 34 Bafana Bafana caps.
A giant of a player
Standing 1.90m tall, Eric Mathoho’s physical stature has been hard to ignore down the years. ‘Tower’ endeared himself to Amakhosi supporters with his imposing style in the centre of defence, but there’s also an underrated elegance to his game when he carries the ball forward to launch passing sequences for his team. Any regular follower of the PSL knows that.
Nothing lasts forever in football; legends come and go at massive clubs, but Mathoho’s presence will be sorely missed. Chiefs have already secured new central defensive signings to compensate for this considerable loss, but there is only one Eric Mathoho.
After almost 11 years at the club, Amakhosi fans had to bid farewell to a bona fide Kaizer Chiefs legend.
Golden Arrows test awaits
Kaizer Chiefs dominated possession and mustered 17 shots at the Cape Town City goal but failed to get on the score sheet. Mduduzi Shabalala missed a gilt-edged opportunity in the 42nd minute, but, in truth, Chiefs didn’t create much else of value. In their following match, they fell to a dreadful 2-0 defeat at Richards Bay. It was a result that left them in eighth place in the Betway Premiership with 29 points after 22 games. Ninth-placed Chippa can usurp Chiefs for that position if they win their two games in hand. Meanwhile, Golden Arrows in tenth have three games in hand on Amakhosi and only trail them by five points. It’s not unthinkable to suggest that Arrows could leapfrog their more illustrious rivals by the end of 2024-2025. Knox Mutizwa was the only goal-scorer as Arrows claimed a slender 1-0 win away to Polokwane, but they followed that with a 1-0 loss at Magesi. Intriguingly, Abafana Bes’thende hosts Chiefs on Saturday, March 29th at 15:30. That looks like a pivotal clash in the race for a top-eight finish.
What are your best Mathoho memories?
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