With Kaizer Chiefs currently lacking an obvious face for their brand, one could make a case for their reputable midfielder Thabo Cele. Here's a look!
The story
Given how seamlessly he has settled at Naturena, one could be forgiven for thinking that Cele has been at the club for much longer.
The player joined Chiefs in January 2025 after a stint in Russia.
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Since then, he has become one of the club's most important players on the pitch, and his influence is increasingly apparent off it as well.
For starters, Cele was selected as one of the players to showcase Chiefs' clothing collaboration with South African retail brand Old School Ltd.
The only other active Chiefs player who featured in the commercial material was Ox Mthethwa, signalling the strong early impression Cele made.
This occurred in May this year, just over three months after Cele signed with the club.
Given that Jessica Motaung also appeared in the photoshoot, it seems likely that her input as Chiefs' commercial and marketing director contributed to Cele being included as one of the faces of the brand.
Other attributes that make Cele commercially attractive include his clean reputation, his fame abroad, and the fact that he is well-spoken and multilingual, speaking Portuguese and Russian.
Cele has also shown competence in punditry work, and he has scored an ambassador deal with Rudy Project SA.
Admittedly, Chiefs currently have no single face for their brand, but if they were to pick one, Cele could easily be the commercial face of the club.
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