Footballers who have never found the back of the net
Ndah, Blom among those who've never celebrated a goal
Goal-scorers are the most celebrated figures in football all over the world. Be that as it may, some footballers are attaining plaudits, despite being goal-shy.
Sihle Ndebele looks at some of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) stars who have never found the back of the net in their top-flight careers thus far with meaningful contributions still.
Olisa Ndah (Orlando Pirates)
Ndah, 24, established himself as one of the finest centre-backs in the PSL last term, his maiden in the country. The Nigerian international has never scored a goal in his career of 83 appearances. As a defender, Ndah's primary job is to ensure that the clean sheets are kept but modern football requires even defenders to score at times. Most of centre-backs register goals through capitalising on set-plays with the likes of Ndah's ex-Bucs teammate Happy Jele, who boasts 18 career goals in over 300 appearances, one of the prime examples.
Ethan Brooks (AmaZulu)
It remains a mystery as to how a creative player such as Brooks, who has just moved from TS Galaxy to AmaZulu ahead of the new season, is yet to celebrate a goal in his career. To be fair, Brooks's career is still fledgling, having made his Premiership debut only in December 2020, but as a playmaker he should have done better. The 20-year-old Brooks has played 50 games (for Galaxy and Bafana Bafana combined).
Njabulo Blom (Kaizer Chiefs)
Blom has played 81 games for Chiefs without scoring. The 22-year-old utility defensive midfielder has been used as a right-back in recent times, and modern full-backs all over the world chip in with one or two goals here and there. Blom has been largely let down by lack of composure. Fellow full-backs in the division such as teammate Reeve Frosler and Khuliso Mudau at Mamelodi Sundowns have netted a few goals in recent seasons.
George Matlou (Chiefs)
Chiefs' new recruit Matlou is yet to score a goal in top-flight career, despite his ability to eliminate opposition defenders. It is worth highlighting that the 23-year-old skilful midfielder has just played 31 games in his professional career. Matlou joined Amakhosi from Swallows during the current off-season.