'New Chiefs signing deserved Footballer of the Season'

by · KickOff

Last season's head coach of Magesi FC in the Betway Premiership, Allan Freese, firmly believes that the Footballer of the Season Award fails to properly recognise defenders.

Historically, the judges for Footballer of the Season have consistently overlooked defenders, favouring midfielders and strikers, which explains the rarity of defenders winning this accolade.

Attackers outshining defenders

READ| Ndlondlo set for PSL club switch?

In the entire history of the PSL, only Mbulelo Mabizela in the 2002/03 season and Tefu Mashamaite in the 2014/15 have claimed the award.

The award is voted on exclusively by the 16 top-flight clubs' head coaches.

"I support their choice of Relebohile Mofokeng as Footballer of the Season, but Thabo Moloisane undoubtedly deserved to come much closer," Freese said, speaking to KickOff.

"The issue is that we tend to focus heavily on midfielders and strikers, neglecting defenders."

The former Platinum Stars coach cites Moloisane’s performances while at Stellenbosch FC, saying he did exceptionally well, which Freese says is the reason Kaizer Chiefs signed him.

"When I coached him at All Stars, I deployed him in a back three, and he excelled on the right side."

“He defends effectively, is strong one-v-one, and wins aerial duels despite not being very tall. He easily could have been the Footballer of the Season."

Freese's case for defenders

Freese also mentions Polokwane City's Thabang Matuludi as another defender that was overlooked.

READ| Lilepo reaps Chiefs benefits by growing real estate portfolio

"His contributions throughout the season were outstanding and should not have been overlooked," Freese said of the Bafana Bafana international who was part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.

"Additionally, Aden McCarthy performed very well for Chiefs last season. He adapted seamlessly to different partners in the defence and was a consistent starter for the team," Freese emphasizes.

Related tags

Allan Freese Betway Premiership Footballer Of The Season News Thabang Matuludi Thabo Moloisane