The Battle for Top Goal Scorer in the PSL Is Cooking!
What’s good, football lovers? The 2024/25 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season is electric like the Soweto Derby in extra time and these strikers are scoring goals like they’re getting commission! The race for the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot is tight, and the competition for the PSL top goal scorer is heating up. We’re here to give you the inside scoop on who’s likely to take home the shiny trophy.
The Front-Runners: Scoring Goals Like It’s Nothing
Lucas Ribeiro Costa (Mamelodi Sundowns) – Leading the Pack with 13 Goals as the PSL’s Current Top Scorer
This Brazilian magician is treating our PSL defenders like training cones! With 13 goals already in his account, Ribeiro Costa is making goalkeepers dive for nothing more often than politicians dodge accountability.
The 26-year-old striker joined Sundowns from Belgian club Waasland Beveren and has adapted to South African football with remarkable ease. His hat-trick against Royal AM had fans dancing in the stands like they’d just won the lotto. Even the security guards were doing the vosho!
Iqraam Rayners (Mamelodi Sundowns) – 9 Goals
Rayners ditched Stellenbosch FC faster than students leave lectures before month-end, and now he’s scoring for fun at Sundowns. With six goals to his name, this oke is showing us levels we didn’t know existed. At this rate, he’s definitely a contender for the PSL top goal scorer title.
The Cape Town-born striker has proven himself a valuable addition to the Brazilians’ attack after his R8 million transfer. His goal against Kaizer Chiefs? That thing was so beautiful it could win Miss South Africa! The way he sent that defender for vetkoek before chipping the keeper was the kind of sauce that makes your plate of slap chips extra special.
Andy Boyeli (Sekhukhune United) – 6 Goals
This Sekhukhune United striker is scoring more regularly than loadshedding disrupts dinner plans! Boyeli has netted six times already, including that mad hat-trick against SuperSport that had fans going “yoh-yoh-yoh” like they’d just tasted Durban’s hottest peri-peri.
The 23-year-old Congolese forward is in his second season in South Africa and has already surpassed his goal tally from the entire previous campaign. The way Boyeli moves in the box is smoother than a taxi tout’s pick-up lines – defenders can’t touch him.
Dženan Zajmović (TS Galaxy) – 8 Goals
Eish, try saying that name three times fast after a quart of Black Label! This Bosnian sharpshooter might struggle to pronounce “eish” and “lekker,” but he sure knows how to speak the universal language of GOALS.
Zajmović arrived as an unknown quantity from the Bosnian Premier League where he scored 14 goals for Velež Mostar in that season. With 8 strikes to his name, Zajmović is adapting to South African football faster than a foreigner learns to dodge potholes. His volleys are more explosive than taxi rank arguments, and his headers are lethally accurate. If he keeps up this form, he could easily challenge for the title of top goal scorer in the PSL.
The Chasing Pack: These Goal Merchants Are Hot on the Heels of the PSL’s Top Scorer
Evidence Makgopa (Orlando Pirates) – 4 Goals
The evidence is clear – Makgopa is making a strong case for the Golden Boot! With four goals for the Buccaneers, he’s showing up bigger than a government promise before elections.
After a challenging start to his Pirates career, the former Baroka FC striker has finally found his rhythm. Pirates fans are singing his name louder than taxi drivers honk in traffic. His goal against Chippa United was cleaner than a Jozi CBD street after the rain washed all the mess away (which happens like once every five years, but you get the point).
Mduduzi Shabalala (Kaizer Chiefs) – 4 Goals
Amakhosi have been as shaky as a toddler learning to walk, but Shabalala is steadying the ship. This youngster is scoring goals like he’s getting airtime for each one!
At just 20 years old, Shabalala is the youngest player in the top 10 goalscorers list. The Chiefs academy graduate has been one bright spot in an otherwise difficult season for the Glamour Boys. With four goals already, Chiefs fans are pinning their hopes on him like a student pins hopes on a bursary application. Notably, Shabalala has scored in crucial moments, with two of his goals being match-winners.
Peter Shalulile (Mamelodi Sundowns) – 6 Goals
The Namibian goal machine is running after defenders like they owe him money! After dominating the scoring charts in previous seasons, Shalulile had a slow start this time around – slower than Home Affairs processing your ID application.
But now with six goals, he’s warming up. Interestingly, four of his goals have come after the 70th minute, demonstrating his fitness and predatory instincts when defenders tire.
Etiosa Ighodaro (AmaZulu) – 4 Goals: Making His Mark in the PSL Golden Boot Race
This AmaZulu hitman is causing more drama than a Sunday night telenovela! With four goals to his name, Ighodaro is making sure Usuthu fans have something to shout about besides complaining about ticket prices.
His finishing is smoother than a politician’s explanation after a scandal. Defenders trying to mark him are getting more confused than a tourist trying to understand taxi hand signals.
Last Season’s Champ: Tshegofatso Mabasa Fighting to Keep His Crown as the Top Goal Scorer in the PSL
Last season’s Golden Boot winner is currently sitting on five goals – struggling like a student trying to make their NSFAS last the whole month. Mabasa isn’t giving up his crown without a fight, though!
His goal celebration – that finger to the lips to silence critics – is becoming as iconic as the makarapa at Bafana games. Despite his relatively modest goal return so far, Mabasa remains a serious contender in the Golden Boot race.
The Road Ahead: Fixtures That Could Decide The Golden Boot
Here are the mouth-watering fixtures that could decide who takes home the Golden Boot and possibly the title of top goal scorer in the PSL:
- The Soweto Derby (Chiefs vs Pirates): Will Shabalala or Makgopa shine brightest when the lights are on full blast?
- Mamelodi Sundowns vs Cape Town City: Ribeiro Costa and Rayners against Mayo – more fireworks expected than Guy Fawkes night!
- Sekhukhune United vs TS Galaxy: Boyeli vs Zajmović in a shootout more exciting than an action movie at Ster-Kinekor!
The calendar also favors certain strikers. Sundowns face the bottom three teams in their upcoming matches, giving Ribeiro Costa and Rayners ample opportunity to pad their stats. Meanwhile, Zajmović and TS Galaxy have the toughest run-in, playing four of the top six teams in their remaining fixtures.
Historical Context: Recent PSL Top Scorers and Their Golden Boot Wins
Looking at past winners gives us some perspective on this season’s race for the Golden Boot:
2023/24: Tshegofatso Mabasa (Orlando Pirates) – 16 goals
2022/23: Peter Shalulile (Mamelodi Sundowns) – 14 goals
2021/22: Peter Shalulile (Mamelodi Sundowns) – 23 goals
2020/21: Peter Shalulile (Mamelodi Sundowns) – 15 goals
2019/20: Gabadinho Mhango (Orlando Pirates) – 16 goals
The highest tally in PSL history remains Collins Mbesuma’s 25 goals for Kaizer Chiefs in the 2004/05 season – a record that has stood for two decades. At his current rate, Ribeiro Costa would finish with approximately 21 goals, which could place him among the top goal scorers in PSL history.
Conclusion: Who Will Claim the Title of PSL’s Top Goal Scorer This Season?
The race for the PSL Top Goal Scorer 2025 is more unpredictable than Mzansi’s petrol prices! With Ribeiro Costa currently leading the pack, the Brazilian is making a strong case for the Golden Boot.
But in the PSL, things can change faster than a traffic light in Sandton. Will Rayners close the gap? Can Shalulile find his scoring boots again? Or will a dark horse like Boyeli or Zajmović cause an upset bigger than the Springboks beating the All Blacks?
One thing’s for sure – this Golden Boot race is more entertaining than watching your drunk uncle dance at a wedding! Keep your eyes on these goal machines as they continue to make net-finding look easier than catching a minibus taxi during rush hour.
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