After his game and a goal against Orlando Pirates, Cassius Mailula has made twelve league appearances, eight starts, seven goals and three assists.
That means direct involvement in ten Mamelodi Sundowns league goals.Cassius Mailula, Peter Shalulile’s new partner in crime, and he cannot stop scoring goals.
Looking at his stats across all competitions, Mailula has sixteen appearances, and ten goals.
He is definitely knocking on Hugo Broos’s door for a Bafana Bafana call up. Currently in the running for the golden boot award, as well as the Dstv premiership young player of the season, only the sky is the limit for the 21- year -old Downs forward.
What makes him special?
His obvious talent aside, Cassius is a great example of a well developed footballer. He makes intelligent runs around the box, his technique is excellent, and he remains calm under pressure inside the box, which helps with his above par finishing skills.
In a league where youngsters are starved of regular game time, Cassius is a great example of what proper development and an enabling environment can do for a youngster.
At Mamelodi Sundowns, Mailula is surrounded by top players, including his role model, Themba Zwane.
Can he win the golden boot award?
If he continues to get some game time, and manages to stay injury free, nothing can stop Mailula from snatching the golden boot award from his teammate, Peter Shalulile.
The Lack of consistency from the other contenders like Caleb Bimenyimana, and Bradley Grobler, leaves Mailula with Shalulile as the other real contender.
With all said and done, we must guard against putting the youngster under too much pressure, and his coach, Rulani Mokwena is well aware of what too much pressure and the limelight can do to a youngster if left to his own devices.
“Cassius has a lot of potential. I’m very protective of the younger ones because I’ve seen it in SA before many times where it is called the curse of a rising star,” Mokwena told Sowetan Live.
“You see a shooting star and just before you make a wish, it disappears. So I’m very, very cautious about the young ones and I always plead for patience, so I can put them in a play where you don’t give them attention or too much of the limelight.”
“If they have that environment very similar to how Percy Tau had not a lot of glitz and glam, the late Madisha not a lot of glitz and glam, Sphelele Mkhulisi, they came through the ranks and when he needed the shine he got it,” he said.
With a coach like Mokwena, Mailula can reach for the stars, and become the next best thing in South African football.
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