Shalulile Was So Close To Leaving Sundowns
Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile has revealed that he was on the verge of leaving the club before deciding to stay and fight for his position.
Shalulile was heavily linked with a move to Tunisian club Esperance and was even given time away to negotiate the deal.
The transfer, however, fell through. This came after the two-time PSL Footballer of the Season found himself no longer the first-choice striker under coach Miguel Cardoso, who has often preferred Iqraam Rayners.
“Things didn’t go well,” Shalulile said about his potential departure.
“They were negotiating and discussing the paperwork, but I decided to call the chairman and told him, ‘Rather let me come back and add my experience and fight for my position.'”
Making History and Chasing Dreams
On Saturday, Shalulile made history by becoming the all-time leading goal scorer in the PSL with 130 goals. He netted the winner with a penalty against Stellenbosch at Athlone Stadium, surpassing the legendary Siyabonga Nomvethe, who held the previous record of 129 goals.
Shalulile, who joined Sundowns from Highlands Park ahead of the 2020/21 season, has won five league titles, the MTN8, the Nedbank Cup, and the African Football League.
He is now focused on extending his goal-scoring record. “It is a great feeling, but we strive for more goals and we pray for many other goals to come,” he said.
With the PSL on a two-week break, Shalulile is now with his national team, Namibia, for two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Namibia, who are second in their group with 12 points after six matches, will “host” Malawi on Friday and São Tomé on Tuesday, with both matches taking place at Francistown Stadium, the neutral venue.
The Namibian captain is targeting nothing less than six points from these matches. “It’s possible that we can see each other in the World Cup,” Shalulile said.
“We just need six points from these two matches, and I know it is not going to be easy. But I told the boys that we need to grind them out, and I believe everything that we want is possible. It is just a dream that we need to put into our hearts and achieve it, and I believe it is possible that we can get the six points.”
In the African qualifiers, only the group winners automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA. The four best-placed runners-up will get a second chance via a play-off round.
