Former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune says that Siphiwe Tshabalala is the best player he has ever shared the pitch with.

Tshabalala and Khune played for Kaizer Chiefs for 11 years, making over 300 appearances for the Soweto club. They both also played together for the men’s senior national team.

In an interview with iDiski Times, Khune said that the former Bafana winger would create chances when the chips were down during matches, stating that’s why he considers him the best he’s ever played with.

“Siphiwe was a phenomenal player. You could always count on him when chips were down for either Chiefs or Bafana. I knew that Siphiwe will make a plan. He used to carry the club, and I’m honoured and privileged to have shared the field with him,” said Khune.

“And even last week, I was doing a Dream Drive shoot with him and Happy Jele for the Derby Kings and I looked at him and I kept on asking myself, you know, this short guy with dreadlocks is the one who used to give players problems. He used to have about five, six defenders marking him, but he will leave them for dead and hit the back of the net.

“He wasn’t a striker. He was a midfielder, but I knew as soon as I gave him the ball, he’d take them on. You can go back and watch all his goals, and you will see he was something special,” he added.