That Peter Shalulile has spent most of pre-season unsettled with transfer possibilities in front of him at Mamelodi Sundowns has suddenly been forgotten with the Namibian scoring his first goal of the season.
The goal on Wednesday evening carried the importance of elevating him to the same seat as Siyabonga Nomvete at the top of the PSL era years all-time scorers’ charts on 129 goals.
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Throughout his time at Chloorkop, the hard-running centre-forward has scored 102 goals for the club in all competitions.
He had 27 goals at Highlands Park.
Worth noting is that these are goals in all official competitions and not just the league.
His count includes strikes from the MTN8, Carling Knockout, Nedbank Cup, CAF Champions League, and African Football League.
Then, with his goals at Highlands Park, it is only those that he scored while the club was in the top league and not First Division that are factored into his total.
The 31-year-old has scored his 129 goals in 290 games.
It means he averages a goal with every 2,25 matches that he plays, and this is minus the important factor of how many minutes he plays with each appearance.
A full shift of 90 minutes and even 120 minutes in some cases with varying referee’s optional time counts as an appearance, just like a two-minute run in injury time.
For Shalulile, he is on approximately 22 600 minutes, giving him an average of a goal in every 178 minutes that he has played for the 129 goals under review.
A key consideration is that he played for a struggling Highlands Park team, where he scored once all season (2016/17) in his first season as they were relegated and still couldn’t get into double figures in the first campaign (2018/19) after they were promoted.
He has also not enjoyed the best scoring rates in recent times.
The Namibian Football Association has taken notice of Shalulile’s remarkable record.
"Peter, your dedication and passion are an inspiration to us all.
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"We are incredibly proud of your achievement and your role as an ambassador for our nation.
"The pursuit of greatness continues!
"We are all cheering you on as you aim to become the leading scorer in the league's history," reads a statement from the NFA.
Photo: Philip Maeta/Gallo Images
