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Tau still has a lot to prove

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Percy Tau of Mamelodi Sundowns

Percy Tau is undoubtedly the best player in South Africa at the moment, but has a long way to go before being mentioned in the same breathe as Benni McCarthy or Mohamed Salah, writes DEAN WORKMAN.

Simply put the Bafana Bafana star is a big fish in a small pond. With 13 goals and 13 assists at the time of writing, Tau is more like a whale in an aquarium, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

He is untested among the world’s elite who all play across Europe’s top leagues, and until he does that, there will still be serious question marks around fulfilling his potential.

His raw talent is evident as we’ve seen on so many occasions, but can he go onto eclipse Bafana all-time top scorer McCarthy? Is he good enough to play for Real Madrid? Is he really better than Liverpool duo Salah and Sadio Mane?

These are some of the questions that have been raised and debated following the comments from Bafana and Senegalese legends. The quotes bare shock value, but there is a large degree of truth in these sentiments.

‘I think Percy Tau is one of the best and most intelligent strikers, with all the instincts, with everything a world-class player needs. He could probably be better than me, because I think he has got crazy skill,’ McCarthy said of Tau.

El Hadji Diouf echoed McCarthy’s thoughts about Tau’s ability, even claiming that Tau is wasting his talent in the Absa Premiership.

‘I spoke to Percy Tau and asked him what he was still doing in the PSL. The boy is good enough to play for any team in the world including Real Madrid or any of England’s top side. The boy is quality. Percy Tau has no reason to still be playing in South Africa. He is more talented than Sadio Mane or even Mo Salah.’

While Tau is undoubtedly the best talent in the country, and he has the stats to back that up, his development has been aided by the quality and fluidity of the systems in place at Masandawana.

The Sundowns academy graduate will be 24 in May and has only really enjoyed two full campaigns with the Brazilians. The current campaign is proving to be his most illustrious to date as he is currently the league’s joint top scorer with eleven goals. But when you compare his career at this stage to that of McCarthy or Salah, the differences are clear.

By the time McCarthy turned 24, he had played in some of Europe’s top leagues. In his early career, he played for Ajax Amsterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie, Celta Vigo in the Spanish La Liga and FC Porto in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. He had not only performed in those league but was successful as well after picking up silverware with Ajax and later a Champions League title with Porto.

McCarthy’s development was a step ahead of Tau’s, not just at club level but international as well. The striker had become the star-man in the Bafana Bafana side, making his presence felt at major tournaments like the African Cup of Nations and World Cup. McCarthy scored in two successive World Cups and was the joint top scorer in the 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso where he scored seven goals, while he was also was named Player of the Tournament. These type of performances for the national team is something Tau’s is yet to achieve.

Salah had a similar European journey in his early career. He left Egypt to play for Swiss club Basel, he then moved to Engish giants Chelsea. After a failed stint in North London, he departed on loan to Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Roma, with the latter eventually signing him permanently.

Salah had also made a stellar start to his international career. By the age of 24, the forward had scored 25 goals and provided 11 assists in just 21 appearances.

Tau has no doubt impressed with the national side, but he has yet to reach the heights of the likes McCarthy or Salah. The forward has only managed 13 goals in his 31 appearances. He is also yet to represent his country at a major tournament.

As stated earlier, there is no denying Tau’s talent and the immense potential that he possesses. The fact of the matter is that he needs to move to Europe and soon. The longer he waits, the more difficult it will become for him to reach the heights that McCarthy and Salah have enjoyed. His development up to this point in the PSL has been remarkable but he will need to take that next step if his potential is going to be realised.

There is more to making it in Europe than just ability and Tau would be mindful of that as he looks to plot a course to the summit of world football. For the moment at least, Tau still has much to prove.

Follow Dean Workman on Twitter: @DeanoWorks 

Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix