Kaizer Chiefs attacker Mduduzi Shabalala appears to be reaping real rewards from his decision to seek specialist striker coaching outside of the club’s training setup at Naturena. The 22-year-old’s attacking numbers have improved noticeably in recent weeks, and the timing lines up directly with his enrolment at former Chiefs forward Lehlohonolo Majoro’s striker academy, Major Elite Striker’s Soccer Academy (MESSA).
As we reported in early March, Shabalala had taken the initiative to work with Majoro’s programme as a supplement to his regular training at the club. It was a bold move for a young player who, at the time, had barely featured for The Glamour Boys during a miserable run of consecutive defeats — clocking just 52 minutes of league football during that difficult stretch.
The turnaround since then has been striking, both for Shabalala personally and for Kaizer Chiefs as a collective unit. Amakhosi have now won three Betway Premiership matches in a row — something they hadn’t managed since winning their opening three games of the season back in August. And throughout that winning run, Shabalala has been statistically among the most dangerous attackers in the team.
Shabalala’s Attacking Numbers Point to Mduduzi Shabalala Coaching Boost
In Chiefs’ 3-1 victory over Orbit College, Shabalala scored — his first goal since netting a brace against the same opponents in a 4-1 win back in November. More than the goal itself, his overall contribution was eye-catching. He was responsible for four of Amakhosi’s ten shots, a 40% share of the team’s total attacking output. Of the four shots Chiefs put on target during that match, Shabalala accounted for two of them. He also posted the highest expected goals (xG) figure of any Chiefs player on the day.
That wasn’t a one-off performance either. In the 1-0 win over Durban City, Shabalala once again led the team’s attacking statistics, contributing 40% of Chiefs’ total shots on target. He registered six shots in total, with two hitting the target — at a point when the rest of the team combined for just one shot on target. His xG for that match was the highest of any Amakhosi player, surpassing even Makabi Lilepo, who scored the only goal of the game.
The only match in the three-game winning run where Shabalala didn’t finish as the standout forward was the 2-0 win over Magesi. He was substituted around the hour mark, but had already registered a shot on target before his exit — and no other Chiefs player managed more than one shot on target during that game either.
It’s worth noting the broader network that MESSA operates within. The academy has an established collaboration with P Management, a player agency that represents several prominent South African attackers, including Mohau Nkota, Cassius Mailula, Monnapule Saleng, and Andy Boyeli, as well as a range of DStv Diski Challenge forwards. That professional ecosystem appears to be providing Shabalala with more than just technical drills — it’s connecting him with a high-performance mentality that’s clearly beginning to show in match situations.
For Kaizer Chiefs supporters who spent weeks watching their side struggle in front of goal, these numbers offer genuine encouragement. Shabalala, nicknamed ‘Mdu or Die’ by the Amakhosi faithful, is starting to look like the player many believed he could become when he first broke into the first team. If this form continues, head coach Nasreddine Nabi will have a serious attacking weapon at his disposal as the season enters its crucial final stages.