One of the all time great PSL strikers Siyabonga Nomvethe said his football career would have been complete if he won the league title.
The league title is something that eluded Bhele in his storied career, having come close with Moroka Swallows recently as 2011/12 season and also with AmaZulu as assistant coach under Benni McCarthy in the 2020/21 season.
Even when Bhele was named PSL Player of the Season in the 1999/00 season with Kaizer Chiefs, Amakhosi still came third, with Mamelodi Sundowns finishing ahead of second placed Orlando Pirates.
Even when he came back for a short stint from Udinese in the 2005/06 season to join Pirates before at the end of that term signing for Aalborg BK in Denmark, still the Bucs finished second to Sundowns, leaving Bhele yet again waiting for the league title in his career.
“Sadly I didn’t get it at home to hold the league title,” admits Bhele.
“I was always close. What made me at least not to be in pain so much is that I won player of the year twice and the last one I won everything.”
The one that Bhele is referring to have won everything is when Swallows lost the league title to Pirates in the 2012. But he was named the Premiership Player of Season, Players’ Player of the Season, PSL Footballer of the Season and also won the PSL Golden Shoe award (scoring 20 league goals) at the age of 34, becoming the oldest player to do so in the PSL era.
“It gave me consolation to say ‘It’s okay but still I’m the only player to have won four individual trophies in one season. Others are getting two individual trophies’.”
Bhele said it was painful to lose the league title that way to his friend McCarthy, who scored twice on that day as Pirates came from behind to beat Golden Arrows 4-2 in the last game of the season at the Moses Mabhida Stadium while Swallows beat Maritzburg United at Harry Gwala Stadium 1-0 but it was not enough.
Swallows, to win the league on the last day of the season, needed to beat the Team of Choice which they did and hope that Pirates lose or draw with Arrows.
At the end Gordon Igesund’s side finished two points behind their Soweto rivals, leaving the former Bafana Bafana coach in tears.
“We watched the game and it was painful,” recalled Bhele.
“Because we thought Arrows vs Pirates (they might not be separated) and I asked who was in goals at Arrows (which was Helton Da Rocha)? Then I knew it was this Brazilian, then I knew this wouldn’t happen (things won’t be in our favour).”
Despite being unfortunate not to win the league title, Bhele still holds the record to have scored the most goals in the PSL era – 123 but it is being monitored closely by Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile who has scored 107 goals.
You can read the original article in this week’s iDiski Times newspaper, free on the website.
