SoccerClub takes a look at 10 things you might not have known about Sibusiso Vilakazi.

1) Vilakazi started playing soccer relatively late at the age of 11 and played on the streets in Meadowlands, Soweto, and was signed by local side Meadowlands Chelsea.

2) He was scouted by the junior set-up at BidVest Wits run by Roger de Sá and Eric Tinkler. He then made his professional debut in the 2009/10 season in a 1–1 draw at Ajax Cape Town.

3) His first professional goal came in a 3–1 loss at Platinum Stars. Wits also had striker Sifiso Vilakazi in their squad at that time, which made it confusing for fans!
4) Vilakazi had a number of trials at Danish side Brøndby during his time at Wits, but for various reasons, the moves never came off. It would be a path successfully travelled by Lebogang Phiri, who has gone on to have a successful career in Europe.

5) Vilakazi has won a number of personal awards, including the South African Footballer of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season for the 2013/14 campaign. During that year, he scored 13 goals in 35 starts for Wits. Only Kaizer Chiefs’ Knowledge Musona (16 goals) scored more in all competitions.

6) Vilakazi spent seven seasons at Wits, captaining the side and scoring 39 goals in 154 starts. He left for Mamelodi Sundowns at the beginning of the 2016/17 campaign, the year in which Wits famously won the DStv Premiership title!

7) He had been strongly linked with Kaizer Chiefs for a number of years before his Sundowns move, but opted for The Brazilians and would go on to be part of a squad that won nine trophies during his six years at the club. However, he was not part of the Sundowns squad that won the 2016 CAF Champions League title as he was cup-tied, having represented Wits earlier in the competition.

8) Vila’ made 100 starts for Sundowns in all competitions during his six seasons at the club, scoring 29 goals. However, particularly towards the end, his time was blighted by injury and he barely played in his last two years at Chloorkop, making only four starts in all competitions.

9) Vilakazi joined TS Galaxy at the start of the 2022-23 season. His debut was in a 0-0 draw with AmaZulu in the opening game of the campaign, but things soon soured, and he was released in January. He has since joined Sekhukhune United.

10) Vilakazi made his Bafana Bafana debut under coach Gordan Igesund in a 1-1 friendly draw with Morocco in October 2013. He was replaced at half time by Bongani Zungu. His first goals came almost a year later when he netted a brace in a 3–0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Sudan, with Shakes Mashaba now at the helm. His last appearance was at the Nations Cup finals in Egypt in 2019, also against Morocco. In all, he won 34 caps, scoring five goals.

Photo by Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix