The new DStv Premiership season is just days away with a feast of football over the next nine months to provide us with a champion in the 2022-23 campaign. Catch all the action live on SuperSport and Showmax Pro.
Goals win games and each club will be hoping their strikers find form with players that can bang in the goals on a regular basis a rare commodity in the South African topflight.
We look back at who has won the PSL’s Golden Boot in the last five seasons and what has become of them.
2017-18: RODNEY RAMAGALELA/PERCY TAU – 11 GOALS
The Golden Boot was shared between Polokwane City’s Ramagalela and Mamelodi Sundowns’ Percy Tau, though the paltry haul of only 11 goals was a major disappointment. It was only one more than the record low, which was Bernard Parker’s 10 goals for Kaizer Chiefs in 2013-14.
The pair have had contrasting fortunes since sharing the award, Tau left Europe the following season and had successful loan spells in Belgium with Royal Union St Gilloise, Club Brugge and Anderlecht, before a short six-month stay in the first team at parent club Brighton & Hove Albion in England.
He moved to Al Ahly for the 2021-22 season but looks on his way out following the departure of mentor Pitso Mosimane. This was the second season in a row that Ramagalela had hit double figures in the league, but he has had a terrible time with injuries since and in the four years since winning the award, has managed only another six goals.
He missed the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign on the sidelines after having joined Chippa United and the future for the 33-year-old is uncertain.
2018-19: MWAPE MUSONDA – 16 GOALS
Musonda banged in the goals that kept Black Leopards in the top division in this season as they fought against the drop but were ultimately successful.
He had campaigned in the second-tier with the club and been a regular scorer there, so was able to prove he could cut it in the elite league too having had failed stints at Orlando Pirates and Lamontville Golden Arrows previously.
He got another nine goals in the next campaign before leaving for the United Arab Emirates, but he was soon back in the PSL as he reunited with former Leopards coach Dylan Kerr at Swallows FC last season.
There he managed only four goals in a poor campaign and the 31-year-old will be looking for a big improvement this year.
2019-20: GABADINHO MHANGO/PETER SHALULILE – 16 GOALS
Orlando Pirates forward Mhango and Highlands Park striker Shalulile shared the Golden Boot after both ended the campaign on 16 goals.
Mhango was in the form of his life but could not fire Pirates to the league title as they finished third. Strangely, he was barely used by The Buccaneers in the next two campaigns, scoring five goals the following season and none in 2021-22. He has since left the club and will turn out for AmaZulu this season, a return to Durban after a previous spell at Lamontville Golden Arrows.
Shalulile was snapped up by Mamelodi Sundowns after this campaign and has become the leading marksman in the topflight, scoring 54 goals in the last three seasons for Highlands and The Brazilians.
In all, he has 101 goals in 199 starts since he first arrived in South Africa in the 2015-16 season.
2020-21: BRADLEY GROBLER – 16 GOALS
SuperSport United striker Grobler pipped Shalulile to the Golden Boot by a single goals in this campaign and he kept up what has been a steady scoring run in the league … when fit.
That has been the major issue for the 34-year-old over the years as he has only made over 20 starts in a season for three years out of his 15 as a topflight player. That is a really poor run, but the goals have kept on coming when he has been on the pitch, especially latterly.
He scored 14 in 2019-20 and bettered that by two in this campaign. However, he could only manage six starts in the league last season due to injury, scoring a single goal.
He has vowed to come back stronger in this campaign and might enjoy the style of play under new coach Gavin Hunt.
2021-22: PETER SHALULILE – 23 GOALS
Shalulile was imperious last season as he scored 23 goals in the league … and may be a little disappointed it wasn’t more!
He had hoped to break the PSL record of 25 goals netted by Collins Mbesuma in the 2004-05 campaign but ran out of steam a little towards the end of the season.
Shalulile became the first man in PSL history to score consecutive hattricks, while his unselfish nature meant he was also a provider for others.
He got 30 goals in all competitions in the campaign and the target now will be to get that number to 35 after he signed a new five-year contract with the team.
Few would bet against him topping the scorers’ chart again.