Xolani ‘Touch’ Mabaso admits he took Kaizer Chiefs chances for granted

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Xolani “Touch” Mabaso says his high standing as a young player may have led him to expect opportunities at the club instead of working harder to earn them.

Mabaso was part of a talented Chiefs squad during his time at Naturena, but he now believes his place within such a strong group created the impression that his own chances would come naturally.

Speaking exclusively to the Siya crew, Mabaso gave a candid account of his struggles at Amakhosi and accepted that he could have done more during a period when expectations around him were high.

“As footballers, sometimes we can be ignorant,” Mabaso said.

“I would like to believe so, that there was that element of lacking here and there at times. Chiefs had cream of the crop in their team at the time, and just by being part of the group, I expected things to just happen for me.”

Mabaso acknowledged that he did not always respond positively when regular first-team opportunities failed to arrive. Rather than using the situation as motivation to demonstrate his value to the technical team, he said he became preoccupied with questioning why he was not being selected.

“When that didn’t happen, I started asking myself questions as to why I wasn’t playing instead of working harder to show that I deserved to play,” he reflected.

The former youngster said the final part of his Chiefs career was especially challenging. He felt his unhappiness began to affect both his performances and his wider experience at the club.

“But that’s life, and some things we can’t change,” Mabaso said.

“Towards the end of my time with Chiefs, I wasn’t happy, and once you are not happy, you can hardly achieve anything, not just in football but in life. My situation affected my performance levels, and that was it. Disappointing.”

Mabaso’s assessment is a frank reflection on a spell at one of Mzansi’s biggest clubs, where his early reputation brought considerable expectation. He also admitted that his experience taught him lessons about maturity, attitude and the need to take responsibility for creating opportunities rather than assuming they will come.