Kaizer Chiefs legend Siphiwe Tshabalala’s stocks seem to keep rising of late with Atletico Madrid players like Antoine Griezmann adding to it.
Tshabalala hasn’t yet announced his retirement from the game, with the ex-Chiefs star still claiming to be on the market.
Tshabalala sent shockwaves through the South African football fraternity when it was announced he would be leaving Chiefs for Turkey. He was a long-serving senior player in the Amakhosi set up during that period. It became hard to see the winger playing for any other club, with many believing he would retire at Naturena.
However, a move to the Turkish topflight was a deal even the Chiefs management understood was too good to reject. This especially with Tshabalala having already reached veteran status. Things did not quite work out for the dreadlocked star in Turkey, however. His newly promoted side Büyükşehir Belediye Erzurumspor found themselves going straight back down to the Turkish second tier.
After spending a bit of time back in the country but inactive, Tshabalala finally received a career lifeline. This came through a move to DStv Premiership side Amazulu. However, the former Free State Stars’ player’s fortunes did not seem to change under former Bafana Bafana teammate Benni McCarthy. He was largely unavailable for the club due to both injury and illness. By the time he was back, McCarthy had already finalized his preferred starting line up.
Chiefs legend also a World Cup icon for Bafana Bafana
Perhaps, it then came as no surprise that Tshabalala was released by Amazulu at the end of the 2020/21 season. But besides being synonymous with Chiefs, his gained world recognition at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This after he scored a scorching first goal of the tournament for Bafana, giving the nation hope.
Atletico Madrid duo Griezmann and de Paul pay tribute
Now almost 14-years later the legacy of that goal continues. The latest tribute being a surprising one from Atletico Madrid duo Griezmann and Rodrigo de Paul. The two World Cup winners recreated the famous celebration Tshabalala led with his teammates after scoring. They did so after the Frenchman scored in a brace in a 3-1 win over Girona in a LaLiga clash on Saturday.
Griezmann then tagged Tshabalala in an Instagram post featuring the celebration. An overwhelmed Shabba then responded with gratitude and reposted on his socials. Check out the response and video below: