12 December 2018, by: Leonard Solms

WHY LEBO MOTHIBA IS DESTINED FOR GLOBAL STARDOM

After scoring his eighth goal of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday, Strasbourg’s South African striker Lebo Mothiba’s stock is surely on the rise. At the tender age of 22, the Bafana starlet still has a long way to go. However, indications are that at long last, South Africa has finally produced an heir to Benni McCarthy.

Mothiba, who joined Strasbourg from Lille early this season, sits joint seventh on the Ligue 1 top scorers’ chart. As if this wasn’t impressive enough, it is worth noting that he has started just 11 league games all season. According to the BBC, Mothiba has scored his eight goals from just 14 shots.

South Africa currently sit a lowly joint 72nd in the FIFA World Rankings (joint 14th in Africa). 15 years ago, when McCarthy was entering his prime, this would have been unfathomable. However, Bafana have struggled in recent years — and poor finishing has been one of the central causes.

It would be a stretch to say that Mothiba has solved Bafana’s problems entirely. In fact, he himself missed crucial chances in their 0-0 draw with Seychelles. However, an international tally of four goals this early on in his career suggests that he is on the right track for country as well as club.

It is worth keeping in mind that at the age of 22, McCarthy, who is Bafana’s record goalscorer, was a new face at Celta Vigo — a club at which he struggled to make his mark.

Having already played a key role in saving Lille from relegation last season, Mothiba is now helping Strasbourg defy expectations. He is thus arguably in a better position than McCarthy was at the same stage of his career.

Of course, the current Cape Town City boss bounced back from his difficult spell in Spain, winning the UEFA Champions League with FC Porto before making his mark on the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers — for whom he scored 18 league goals in 2006/07.

Mothiba’s trajectory will be defined by his attitude as much as anything else. McCarthy endured tough stints at Celta Vigo and West Ham United, but refused to let them halt his career.

If he is able to continue coping with pressure as well as he has so far, the 22-year-old could go even further than the former Orlando Pirates frontman.

Whatever career ambitions he has, Mothiba has not allowed himself to get carried away while discussing his targets in public.

“I would like to beat my total last season‚ which was 16 goals when you count the goals I scored for Valenciennes‚ Lille and the national team,” he told TimesLIVE in October.

For most South African strikers, this would have been a brave target to set, but Mothiba is no ordinary frontman. Given his incredible form so far this season, this seemed a fairly modest desire — even more so in hindsight.

While simply playing in Europe may be enough to satisfy most players, he could well be set for a lengthy career going toe-to-toe with the continent’s greatest players.

« Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. » pic.twitter.com/Gx4Mc0cs9b

— Lebo Mothiba (@LeboMothiba11) October 17, 2018

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Leonard Solms

Leonard Solms is a sports journalist who features regularly on various local and international platforms including ESPN, New Frame, FARPost, Tagged Online and Careers Magazine, as well as this one. He enjoys the occasional bet and the most important tip he can give you is to bet within your means.