As was largely expected, Percy Tau walked away with the biggest accolades at the Premier Soccer League awards dinner at the Sandton Convention Centre last night.
The Mamelodi Sundowns star was named footballer of the year after an amazing season, during which he helped his club win the Absa Premiership a record eight times.
The footballer of the season award is voted for by all 16 PSL coaches, and Tau, 24, beat off the challenge of his teammate Hlompho Kekana and Maritzburg United’s Siphesihle Ndlovu to walk away with the R250000 gong.
It was not the only award that the Bafana Bafana star got. His peers in the Premiership also voted him as players’ player of the year, enabling him to pocket R200000 for that award. The skilful star had already been assured of the top scorer award which he shared with Polokwane City’s Rodney Ramagalela after they both scored 11 league goals.
But Tau stood head and shoulders above everyone after a highly productive season, where he hardly got injured despite opposition coaches plotting to halt Sundowns largely around him. He still found the trickery to create openings for his teammates, as his 13 assists attest.
Tau may have bagged three awards on a glitzy evening graced by domestic football’s dignitaries, but Martizburg were arguably the biggest winners as a club on the evening.
The KZN side swept five awards – split among Ndlovu, Siyanda Xulu and Lebogang Maboe. Ndlovu was named midfielder of the year, as well as young player of the year. Xulu will have been chuffed that his departure after an unsuccessful spell from Kaizer Chiefs has now made him defender of the season.
There were little surprises elsewhere as Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane walked away with the coach of the season award – the fourth time he’s claimed the award.
Kaizer Chiefs’ Itumeleng Khune beat Denis Onyango and Richard Ofori to the goalkeeper of the season award.
Selected winners:
Footballer of the year: Percy Tau (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Player’s Player of the Season: Percy Tau (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Coach of the Season: Pitso Mosimane (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Young Player of the Season: Siphesihle Ndlovu (Maritzburg United)
Goalkeeper of the Season: Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs)
Defender of the Season: Siyanda Xulu (Maritzburg United)
Midfielder of the Season: Siphesihle Ndlovu (Maritzburg United)
Goal of the Season: Siphelele Magubane (Golden Arrows)
MTN8 Last man standing: Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United)
Telkom Knockout player of the tournament: Amr Gamal (Bidvest Wits)
Nedbank Cup: Player of the Tournament: Lebogang Maboe (Maritzburg United)
Nedbank Cup: Most Promising Player: Lebogang Maboe (Maritzburg United)
Multichoice Diski Challenge Precious Find: Siboniso Conco (Golden Arrows)
Multichoice Diski Shield Precious Find: Itumeleng Shopane (Kaizer Chiefs)..