Goalkeepers: Who stood out in the last decade?
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday November 29, 2019 14:37
Contenders:
Kabelo Dambe
Dambe was just 19 years old when he became the youngest number one glove man in the league.
This was at the start of the 2009-2010 season, the first under the telecommunications company’s sponsorship.
At the time veteran keeper, Anthony Matengu deputised him for the role in between the Popa sticks. Then, as a youngster he won the first of the four league championships with the Blues.
He went across the seven seasons he played in the last 10 years, won the Player, Young Player and Goalkeeper of the season accolades. He spent three seasons in South Africa with Platinum Stars and Bloemfontein Celtic.
Raphael Nthwane
The Mabule-born has been one of the most outstanding keepers in the last decade. He was not one of the most acrobatic keepers but his strength lies in his positioning between the posts.
He was very vocal and marshalled his back line every well. Unlike most of the goalkeepers of his time, Nthwane was rather comfortable on the ball, which enabled him to start play from the back, his let down was, he often failed to deal with the crosses. He has two league titles with Mochudi Centre Chiefs and Gaborone United. He is currently with second tier side, Jwaneng Fighters.
Noah Maposa
Maposa’s star rose to prominence when he was part of a swashbuckling group of the all-conquering Mochudi Centre Chiefs in 2008.
He was hard to beat and proved to be a brilliant shot stopper. He won numerous titles between 2009 and 2011, before moving to South Africa’s Bay United in 2012.
He returned to join Gaborone United where he proved his mettle, and later completed another move to a local giant, Township Rollers in 2016. However, he was not the same, but had already written his name amongst the best goalkeepers of the last decade.
The 34-year-old was part of the squad that made it to the Africa Cup of Nations finals, but due to the quality of Modiri Marumo and Noah Maposa, he hardly had a sniff.
Missing out
Modiri Marumo
Marumo would have been the obvious choice for the award of the best goalkeeper in the last decade, but was already in Egypt when BTC came on board to change the face of Botswana football in 2009.
Marumo was a brilliant leader and excellent reader of the game, becoming the first keeper to sign a professional contract abroad. He was an undisputed vital cog in the side that qualified for the AFCON finals in 2012. He also played for Bay United and Polokwane City in South Africa.
Kagiso Tshelametsi
A brilliant, flamboyant shot-stopper, Tshelametsi never reached his full potential. He was Marumo’s deputy for long periods in Jelusic Veselin’s Zebras.
However, a knee injury curtailed his progress and he was never the same. He could have easily been a contender, but when the BTC Premiership burst into life in 2009, his star was on the wane, but he remains arguably the most naturally talented gloveman to come out of Botswana in recent years.
POLL: In your opinion, who has been the most outstanding goalkeeper in the last decade?