Peter Shalulile has seen his remarkable league season come to a close as he scored in Monday’s 3-2 victory over Royal AM to take his goals tally in the 2021/22 DStv Premiership campaign to 23, the third best ever in the Premier Soccer League era.
It has been a season that has taken the Namibia international from handy scorer to elite marksman, and proven many of the critics who said he would struggle when he made the move from Highlands Park to Chloorkop in July 2020 wrong.
Now 28 years old, he is reaching his peak as a striker, with 29 goals in all competitions this term and still the Nedbank Cup final against Marumo Gallants on Saturday to come.
None would bet against him reaching the 30-goal mark, though it would take something extraordinary for him to match Collins Mbesuma’s record tally of 35 goals in a PSL season, set with Kaizer Chiefs in the 2004/05 campaign.
Mbesuma (25 goals) and Daniel Mudau (24) from Sundowns are the only players in the PSL era to score more goals in a single league season, but Mbesuma is the only one to breach 30 in all competitions. Shalulile will have the chance to join him on Saturday.
Pollen Ndlanya also scored 29 in the 1998/99 season for Chiefs, but Shalulile can go past him with one more goal in the Nedbank Cup decider.
Shalulile and Mudau have something else in common, they both scored in 16 league games during the campaign, which is a joint Sundowns record.
The Namibian’s back-to-back hattricks against Swallows FC and Lamontville Golden Arrows was a unique feat in terms of trebles in consecutive games, and he is the first player to net two hattricks in a single PSL season since the late Richard Henyekane got three for Golden Arrows in the 2008/09 campaign.
Henyekane netted three times each against Platinum Stars, Ajax Cape Town and Kaizer Chiefs (Telkom Knockout) in a tally of 22 for the season.
Anthony Laffor also got two that campaign for SuperSport United against Sundowns and Maritzburg United.
As for teams who will be sick of the sight of Shalulile, he netted in two games against Kaizer Chiefs and Golden Arrows (one each in the league and MTN8), and both league fixtures versus Orlando Pirates, TS Galaxy, Swallows, Maritzburg United, Royal AM and SuperSport.
Shalulile has now taken his tally to 62 goals in 119 starts in the DStv Premiership with Highlands (24 goals) and Sundowns (38). He also netted 20 goals in 35 starts in the GladAfrica Championship for Highlands and has 12 goals in 26 starts in domestic cup competitions.
If you add in his six goals in 18 starts in the CAF Champions League, Shalulile’s total tally since arriving in South African football ahead of the 2015/16 season is exactly 100 goals in 198 starts, almost exactly a goal every other game.
Not bad for a player who started his career as a left-back!
PETER SHALULILE’S GOALS SO FAR IN THE 2021/22 SEASON
League matches unless stated
15/08 vs Kaizer Chiefs, home (MTN8)
12/09 vs Kaizer Chiefs, home
19/09 vs TS Galaxy, home
25/09 vs Orlando Pirates, away (two)
28/09 vs Lamontville Golden Arrows, home (MTN8)
03/10 vs Swallows FC, home
24/10 vs Maniema Union, home (CAF Champions League)
03/11 vs Maritzburg United, home
07/11 vs Marumo Gallants, away (two)
24/11 vs SuperSport United, home
08/12 vs Royal AM, home (two)
11/12 vs SuperSport United, away
17/12 vs Orlando Pirates, home
04/02 vs Richards Bay, away (Nedbank Cup)
02/03 vs TS Galaxy, away
05/03 vs Maritzburg United, away
12/03 vs Al Ahly, home (CAF Champions League)
19/03 vs Al Hilal, away (CAF Champions League)
06/04 vs Swallows FC, away (three)
12/04 vs Lamontville Golden Arrows, home (three)
03/05 vs Sekhukhune United, away
23/05 vs Royal AM, away