Ex-Namibia coach: ‘Shalulile is all-time great’

Former Namibia football team coach Ricardo Manetti has given his opinion of where record-breaking South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) star Peter Shalulile ranks.

Manetti is no stranger to the PSL having won trophies with then Cape Town-based Santos FC. The team was relegated and now plays in the lower leagues.

Therefore, the former Santos midfielder takes keen interest in the PSL proceedings.

Manetti told the Namibian newspaper why the game Mamelodi Sundowns played against Stellenbosch FC was of particular interest to him in the context of compatriot Shalulile.

It was from this Betway Premiership game that the Brave Warriors forward broke the PSL’s all-time leading scorers’ record.

Shalulile’s goal handed the Betway Premiership holders a 1-0 victory over Stellenbosch while also pushing the former Highlands Park FC striker head and shoulders above the rest.

It was the Namibian forward’s 130th league goal that took him above the previous holder of the record, Siyabonga Nomvethe, a Kaizer Chiefs legend.

Manetti explained why he watched the Sundowns-Stellenbosch game nervously from television.

“The Athlone Stadium where Peter was playing is very sentimental to me as a former player,” the coach is quoted saying.

“That’s where I played 10 years of my professional career at Santos. That’s where I won the league, and I was just hoping and praying that Peter Shalulile can do the same at that special stadium.”

He added: “I was just praying and saying that it has to be at that stadium, please let him score, and so it happened. But as far as I’m concerned, in terms of him breaking the record, I was never surprised. I always knew Peter was special. I always knew Peter would prove everyone wrong, and he’s done so.”

The COSAFA Cup-winning tactician then explained why he thinks Shalulile is Namibia’s football great of all time.

“There were so many debates, and so many times we had to explain why Peter is the best Namibian player ever, why Peter is the best Namibian striker ever,” he argued.

“But this just kills all the debates, because what do they say now? Numbers don’t lie. It’s not only the numbers though, for me it’s deeper than that. It’s not just about him breaking the record, it’s about him being an ambassador for the country.

“It’s about him showing everyone, our government, showing corporate Namibia, showing the leaders of the football association, that he’s the ice-breaker, he’s the change and we need to change according to what Peter Shalulile has done right now.

“We need to take the blueprint into how he did it, so that we can train every young player the same way. Whatever Peter did, we need to copy that and do the same thing,” he said.

The Sundowns player vindicated Manetti by scoring a hat- trick for Namibia as they cruised past São Tomé and Prìncipe with a 3-0 victory. The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier for Group H took place at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown, Botswana, on Tuesday.

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.