South Africa’s New Star: Cassius Mailula Proves He’s the Next Percy Tau
South Africa’s New Star: Cassius Mailula Proves He’s the Next Percy TauThe Mamelodi Sundowns wonderkind continues to leave onlookers awe-struck as he single-handedly slayed Al Hilal on Saturday.
The comparisons to Percy Tau were initially met with skepticism, but the 21-year-old Mailula is quickly proving he may even have the talent to surpass the Bafana Bafana forward.
With an unshakeable confidence and a winning mentality, Mailula was the hero once again for the reigning champions as they kicked off their Caf Champions League group stage campaign with a commanding 1-0 victory over Sudanese heavyweights Al Hilal.
Life in the PSL may seem like a walk in the park for the Brazilians, but their winning streak shows no sign of slowing down. And with Mailula leading the charge, it’s no surprise.
While his teammates stumbled and fumbled, Mailula was a picture of ease as he netted the winner in the 25th minute with a cool and collected finish from close range. This wasn’t his flashiest goal of the campaign, but it highlighted his incredible instincts and lightning-quick reactions.
For a player with relatively little experience, Mailula seems right at home on the continental stage, and he’s proving that his top-flight success is no fluke with his fourth African goal of the season.
With Peter Shalulile leading the scoring charts, it’s safe to say the Golden Boot race is heating up, but don’t count Mailula out just yet with seven league goals under his belt, he’s hot on the heels of his Namibian teammate and could be a dark horse for Player of the Year.
The comparisons to Percy Tau are becoming increasingly hard to ignore, and it’s worth noting that even at Mailula’s age, Tau was still playing in the National First Division and nowhere close to matching the wonderkid’s goal-scoring exploits.
In fact, it wasn’t until he was 22 that Tau scored seven goals in a PSL season, a feat Mailula has already achieved this term.
The PSL may be more forgiving now than it was six or seven years ago, but Mailula’s impressive output alone suggests that the comparisons to Tau are more than warranted.
With a level of composure, consistency, and anticipation that even Tau didn’t exhibit at such a young age, it’s clear that Mailula is destined for great things.
Silverware and international recognition are surely on the horizon, and who knows, maybe Mailula will even surpass where Tau has (so far) fallen short.