Siphiwe Tshabalala

Lawrence Siphiwe Tshabalala (born 25 September 1984), is a South African professional football midfielder who plays for and captains Kaizer Chiefs in the Premier Soccer League.
Tshabalala being one of the most well known and most decorated South African footballers of his generation, was the first player to make his international debut while still playing in the National First Division. At 90 caps, he is the second most capped player of the South African National Team and played at three African Cup of Nations editions and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, at which he scored the first goal on 11 June 2010 which was nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award. In August 2015, Tshabalala's 40-yard volley received Internet recognition and received 70,000 hits in its first 60 minutes of being uploaded in England. Tshabalala is a winger but has played other midfielder roles.

Tshabalala was born on 29 September 1984 in Phiri as the first born of two children of Isaac Tshabalala (1964–) and Hadifele Rebecca (née Makhubu) (1965– 5 December 2010). He has a younger sister, Mpumi. Tshabalala grew up and lived in a face brick house until he was 19, owned by his grandparents around his cousins and siblings all in one house and his father was the breadwinner and worked as a taxi driver. He attended secondary school at Seanamarena Secondary School in Phiri, Soweto. Tshabalala aspired to be a chartered accountant as a child.

Tshabalala played at the Kaizer Chiefs academy but only broke through to the senior team after spells with Alexandra United and Free State Stars. In January 2007 Chiefs brought back their own product after Ea Lla Koto was relegated to the National First Division at the end of the 2005/06 campaign. At the time, Tshabalala was then sidelined for six months due to a serious knee injury.

2007–08 season

Tshabalala eventually made his debut in a 1–0 loss to Bidvest Wits on 31 August 2007. Tshabalala made his Soweto derby debut on November 24, 2007 in a 2–2 draw. Tshabalala played his first ever cup final on 1 December 2007 in the Telkom Knockout winning after a penalty shootout against Mamelodi Sundowns and played the full 120 minutes. He scored his first Chiefs goal on 12 December 2007 in a 4–2 win over Golden Arrows.

2008–09 season

Tshabalala continued to consistently deliver great goals, winning him the Player and Players’ Player of the Year at the Kaizer Chiefs Awards Ceremony. He also picked up the Website Player of the Year, Goal of the Season and Readers’ Choice awards. All-and-all Tshabalala left the awards with R170 000 in prize-money, as well as a Nissan X-Trail.

2015–16 season

On 25 August 2015 Tshabalala gained attention for a volleyed goal from well outside the area which was nominated as one of the goals of the South African season. The goal, which came in a 4–0 win over Free State Stars F.C. coincidentally took place at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, the same venue where Tshabalala had scored a similar goal against Mexico in the world cup five years earlier.

Tshabalala was one of the first players to be called up to the national team while still playing in the National First Division.Tshabalala made his national team debut in a friendly against Egypt on 14 January 2006. He was part of the South African squad at 2006 African Nations Cup, 2008 African Nations Cup and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. On 11 June 2010, gaining his 50th cap for the nation of South Africa, he scored the first goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Mexico in the 55th minute. The game went on to finish at a 1–1 draw. The goal later received a nomination for goal of the year by FIFA.

Goal.com describes Tshabalala as "a tricky winger with pace and can deliver fantastic crosses. His left boot can pack a powerful shot and he is a great option for set pieces as he has the ability to bend the ball". He is also reliable when comes to defendi set pieces

In October 2009, Tshabalala and Arsenal's Cesc Fàbregas were the first two players to launch the new Nike CTR360 Maestri boots.

Tshabalala's mother Rebecca Hadifele "Hadi" Makhubu (1965–2010) died on Sunday, 5 December 2010 after a head injury after falling at a bridal shower which she was attending with Tshabalala's father Isaac. She was buried at the Avalon Cemetery on 11 December 2010 in Soweto. The funeral was attended by notable figures such as Pitso Mosimane, Jimmy Tau, Morgan Gould as well as a performance by Joyous Celebration. A Limpopo man named Samson Nangani claimed that Tshabalala was his child and lost contact with his mother while she was still pregnant. Tshabalala denied being his son. Tshabalala was in a love scandal with Zanele Khanye Skhosana and former Atletico Madrid academy player Robin Ngalande where one of them allegedly impregnated her. Tshabalala's first child, Owami, a boy, was born on February 6, 2015 by former Miss SA, Bokang Montjane whom he had been dating since 2012.

• 2006 Baymed Cup winner (Stars)
• 2010 Telkom Charity Cup winner (Chiefs)
• 2009 Vodacom Challenge winner (Chiefs)
• 2008 MTN 8 winner (Chiefs)
• 2007, 2010, 2011 Telkom Knockout winner (Chiefs)
• 2010 Safa Footballer of the Year
• 2012-2013 Absa Premiership winner (Chiefs)
• 2013 Nedbank Cup winner (Chiefs)