Ricardo Mannetti hails Peter Shalulile as Namibia’s greatest ever after PSL record-breaking goal

Namibian coach Ricardo Mannetti has lauded Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile, calling him the finest footballer the country has ever produced.

The praise follows Shalulile’s historic feat of surpassing Siyabonga Nomvethe’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) goal-scoring record.

The 31-year-old cemented his status as the league’s all-time top scorer by netting his 130th goal in South Africa’s top flight.

Shalulile reached the milestone in a league clash against Stellenbosch FC at Athlone Stadium two weeks ago, with his decisive solo strike securing victory for the Brazilians.

In doing so, he overtook Bafana Bafana legend Nomvethe, who retired with 129 PSL goals and enjoyed notable spells at Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Reflecting on the achievement, Mannetti told Pan Africa Football: “The Athlone Stadium where Peter was playing is very sentimental to me as a former player.

“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.

“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.”

Mannetti went further, asserting that Shalulile’s achievement settles any debate over who is Namibia’s greatest footballer.

“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 added.

“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.”