The goal Thamsanqa Gabuza scored against Etoile Sahel on Saturday was further confirmation that, for a player who most of the time is chastised, he now needs to be more appreciated.
Receiving a pass from Thabo Matlaba inside the Etoile box, Gabuza blasted it on the second touch with his left foot into the top corner, having neatly controlled it with his right.
It was a classy goal and, as he ran excitedly towards the Orlando Pirates bench to celebrate with his teammates, I wondered if, with more support rather than the ridicule with which he's viewed, Gabuza would not have been a greater player.
Many will argue that strikers are judged solely on goals. But the amount of work Gabuza put in during Saturday's CAF Confederation Cup final first leg - tracking back to help in defence, winning headers, tackling and generally hassling the Etoile defence - suggests this method of judging forwards' contribution is flawed. Gone are the days when strikers used to stay up front all match, waiting for a loose ball to pounce on.
Which is why, after watching Gabuza doing duty for both club and country this year, I think he has not received a fair deal from the notoriously scornful SA football fans.
Some have derided him as a "cow", while others thought he should long have been shipped out of Pirates.
I was one of those who reacted with shock when he was first called up to the national side. It was in September 2012 when Bafana Bafana were undertaking a trip to Sao Paulo to face Brazil in a friendly.
Then, Gabuza was at Golden Arrows and I asked myself what in the world had persuaded Gordon Igesund to call him up, when the man had no proven scoring record (in over three seasons at Arrows he scored 16 goals in 59 games). True to form, when he didn't deliver, we wrote him off as one of those one-cap passers-by who would never don the national jersey again.
How wrong we were. Gabuza has shown his quality in recent months, becoming one of Pirates' key players as they qualified for the Confed Cup final, and allowing the likes of Kermit Erasmus to flourish around him.
He's been good at national level too, his goal helping Bafana draw level in their 3-1 win over Angola in the World Cup 2018 eliminator two weeks ago.
He now has four goals in his nine Bafana matches, a sign of how helpful he's been to a national side who've long complained about poor performance from strikers.
Still, though, Gabuza's recent improvement will not change the mindset of some among us. They will continue to label him a "cow", and his slightest mistakes will be highlighted. And, yes, Gabuza makes a lot of mistakes. In the Telkom Knockout semifinal against Kaizer Chiefs on November 7 he squandered several chances, including a late one-on-one. But to have transformed into such an important player for both club and country, after starting just four league matches at Pirates in the previous two seasons, must have taken huge effort.
As Bucs travel to Tunisia for the second leg on Sunday, Gabuza will have to play a crucial role and should he successfully help them overcome Etoile, perhaps only then would others cut him some slack and appreciate his immense contribution.
Rubbished Gabuza proves doubters wrong
The goal Thamsanqa Gabuza scored against Etoile Sahel on Saturday was further confirmation that, for a player who most of the time is chastised, he now needs to be more appreciated.
Receiving a pass from Thabo Matlaba inside the Etoile box, Gabuza blasted it on the second touch with his left foot into the top corner, having neatly controlled it with his right.
It was a classy goal and, as he ran excitedly towards the Orlando Pirates bench to celebrate with his teammates, I wondered if, with more support rather than the ridicule with which he's viewed, Gabuza would not have been a greater player.
Many will argue that strikers are judged solely on goals. But the amount of work Gabuza put in during Saturday's CAF Confederation Cup final first leg - tracking back to help in defence, winning headers, tackling and generally hassling the Etoile defence - suggests this method of judging forwards' contribution is flawed. Gone are the days when strikers used to stay up front all match, waiting for a loose ball to pounce on.
Which is why, after watching Gabuza doing duty for both club and country this year, I think he has not received a fair deal from the notoriously scornful SA football fans.
Some have derided him as a "cow", while others thought he should long have been shipped out of Pirates.
I was one of those who reacted with shock when he was first called up to the national side. It was in September 2012 when Bafana Bafana were undertaking a trip to Sao Paulo to face Brazil in a friendly.
Then, Gabuza was at Golden Arrows and I asked myself what in the world had persuaded Gordon Igesund to call him up, when the man had no proven scoring record (in over three seasons at Arrows he scored 16 goals in 59 games). True to form, when he didn't deliver, we wrote him off as one of those one-cap passers-by who would never don the national jersey again.
How wrong we were. Gabuza has shown his quality in recent months, becoming one of Pirates' key players as they qualified for the Confed Cup final, and allowing the likes of Kermit Erasmus to flourish around him.
He's been good at national level too, his goal helping Bafana draw level in their 3-1 win over Angola in the World Cup 2018 eliminator two weeks ago.
He now has four goals in his nine Bafana matches, a sign of how helpful he's been to a national side who've long complained about poor performance from strikers.
Still, though, Gabuza's recent improvement will not change the mindset of some among us. They will continue to label him a "cow", and his slightest mistakes will be highlighted. And, yes, Gabuza makes a lot of mistakes. In the Telkom Knockout semifinal against Kaizer Chiefs on November 7 he squandered several chances, including a late one-on-one. But to have transformed into such an important player for both club and country, after starting just four league matches at Pirates in the previous two seasons, must have taken huge effort.
As Bucs travel to Tunisia for the second leg on Sunday, Gabuza will have to play a crucial role and should he successfully help them overcome Etoile, perhaps only then would others cut him some slack and appreciate his immense contribution.
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