After all the banter and talks about being overweight, Kaizer Chiefs’ marquee signing Keagan Dolly has silenced the critics and proved that he’s still one of the best players this country has produced.
In 2016, while playing for Mamelodi Sundowns, Dolly was one of three Sundowns stars who made it into the 2016 CAF African Team of the Year. He was the first ever South African player to be part of this African XI. The team consisted of big names such as English Premier League stars like Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Inevitably, after the amazing accomplishments, European clubs were racing for Dolly’s signature with French giants Montpellier winning the race and signing the South African star on a four-year deal.
Despite glimpses of his undeniable talent, his career took a bad turn in France. The left-footed attacker struggled with injuries and that hindered his progress and forced him to return home where he joined AmaKhosi, the club that he grew up supporting.
The South African spent four years in the French Ligue 1 where he amassed 63 appearances, scoring just once while registering three assists. The poor form also cost him his Bafana Bafana spot.
Since returning to the PSL, Dolly has worked a lot on his fitness and made massive improvements on his weight in the first four months. The 28-year-old was the star performer in Saturday’s Soweto Derby at the FNB Stadium, where he netted twice to help his side claim a 2-1 win over their Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates.
Whenever he’s on the ball, you can clearly see that his talent is unmatched with others – proving he may just be too good for the PSL.
Dolly made his Kaizer Chiefs debut against his former club Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 quarter-finals where he came and made an instant impact, assisting his old friend Khama Billiat who was his teammate at Sundowns.
Dolly has indeed proved that he is the best player in the league, and his five goals and three assists in nine DStv premiership matches can attest to that. Just imagine how much more he’d have if Chiefs had a lethal number 9. Whenever he’s in the mood, Chiefs become a top team incredibly difficult to play against. He has also awakened players like Bernard Parker and Billiat.
The amazing performances from Dolly has earned him a Bafana Bafana call up for the World Cup Qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Ghana where he will team up with his old friend Percy Tau. If those two stars can translate their club form to the national team than South Africa will have a strong chance of topping the group. A win against Zimbabwe and a draw against Ghana will be enough to see us through to the next and final round.
Written by Banele Pikwa