Doctor Khumalo

South African footballer

Theophilus "Doctor" Doctorson Khumalo (born 26 June 1967), also known as Doctor Khumalo, is a South African former soccer player. He is best known for being a star midfielder for Kaizer Chiefs as well as the South African national team. Khumalo is regarded as one of the best South African midfielders of his generation. He was known as a strong player who stood out for his leadership, his passing ability, dribbling, tackling, and his ability to score a goal. He won the 1996 African Cup of Nations with South Africa beating Tunisia with the score 2-0. He was named South African Footballer of the Year in 1992. His nickname was "Doctor" because of his intellingence in midfield. Considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of Kaizer Chiefs.

Doctor Khumalo
Personal information
Full name Theophilus Doctorson Khumalo[1]
Date of birth (1967-06-26) 26 June 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth Soweto, South Africa
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Central Midfielder
Club information
Current team
Baroka (technical director)[2]
Youth career
1984–1985 Moroka Swallows
1985–1986 Kaizer Chiefs
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–2004 Kaizer Chiefs 397 (75)
1995Ferro Carril Oeste (loan) 4 (1)
1996–1997Columbus Crew (loan) 43 (5)
Total 444 (81)
National team
1992–2001 South Africa 50 (9)
Honours
Men's Football
Representing  South Africa (as player)
African Cup of Nations
Runner-up 1996 South Africa
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early career

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Khumalo started playing football in 1984 with Swallows Reserves. Khumalo then went to Kaizer Chiefs, where he played for the junior team. His father, Eliakim Khumalo, a renowned player of the 1970s and early 1980s, served as his mentor. Khumalo was promoted to the senior team by coach Ted Dumitru the following year. He started a game against arch rivals Orlando Pirates.

Club career

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Khumalo went on to become a star player for Kaizer Chiefs and did not play for any other South African soccer club. He only left them for short overseas playing periods. He signed with FIFA agent Marcelo Houseman who first took him to Argentinian club Ferro Carril Oeste[3] for six months in 1995 In 1996 and 1997 he played for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.[4]

The high-point of Khumalo's soccer career was the 1990s. He was part of the Kaizer Chiefs teams that won three South African league championship titles and five knockout trophies. He was voted South African Footballer of the Year in 1992. During his career at the club, he played in a total of 397 league and cup games, scoring 75 goals.

International career

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After the re-admission of South Africa to FIFA in 1992, Khumalo was selected to be a member of the South African squad for its first official international match in July of the same year, against Cameroon. South Africa won the match 1–0, due to a penalty scored by Khumalo. He was a leading member of the winning South African national team at the 1996 African Cup of Nations . He represented South Africa in the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Throughout his whole international career, he played for South Africa 50 times (twice as captain), scoring nine goals.[5] He was the 13th most capped South African footballer. Khumalo turned down a chance to play for the 1998 and 2000 African Cup of Nations. He made his international farewell in 2001.

One of Doctor Khumalo's most memorable games was the 1996 Mandela Cup match. South Africa played against Brazil. Phil Masinga scored the first goal from Doctor Khumalo's corner kick. Khumalo then scored the second goal to make the score 2–0 in favour of the South Africans. Unfortunately for Bafana, Brazil came back in the second half, scoring three goals, to win 3–2.

Personal life

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He retired in 2002 and then in 2004 as a player-coach. He was a winning co-coach (with Donald "Ace" Khuse) of Kaizer Chiefs in the 2002–2003 season. The club had a 12-game unbeaten record. They earned themselves a joint Coach of the Month PSL award. Khumalo stated that his aim is to become a soccer administrator. Since 2004, Khumalo served as a television soccer commentator and presenter. He was also South African Under-17 national coach.

Khumalo was voted 62nd in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004. He is married to Namibian beauty queen Blanche Garises.

Coaching career

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He has a SAFA Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 coaching licences, an English Football Association licence which he got in 2005 and a UEFA B licence through the German Football Federation in 2007. He previously worked as head coach for the Kaizer Chiefs Under-17 team and together with Khuse. He was the assistant coach for Kaizer Chiefs [6]

Acting career

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Khumalo made his film acting debut with the German/South African production Themba.[7] He plays himself as the coach of the under 21s. The movie is about Themba, a young and ambitious football youth, who is faced with poverty, AIDS and violence. Eventually he makes his way on to the South African national team. The film is based on a novel by Lutz van Dijk and premiered at the Berlinale 2010.

Career statistics

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International goals

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Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Khumalo goal.
List of international goals scored by Doctor Khumalo[8][9]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 7 July 1992 Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa   Cameroon 1–0 1–0 Friendly
2 10 May 1994 Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa   Zambia 2–0 2–1 Friendly
3 13 November 1994 Independence Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia   Zambia 1–0 1–1 1996 AFCON Qualifier
4 29 November 1994 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, South Africa   Ghana 2–0 2–1 Simba Cup
5 26 April 1995 Setsoto Stadium, Maseru, Lesotho   Lesotho 1–0 3–1 Friendly
6 13 May 1995 Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa   Argentina 1–0 1–1 Friendly
7 30 September 1995 FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa   Mozambique 3–2 3–2 Friendly
8 24 April 1996 FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa   Brazil 2–0 2–3 Friendly
9 27 April 1997 Stade de Kégué, Lomé, Togo   Zaire 1–0 2–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

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Kaizer Chiefs

International

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South Africa

Individual

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Doctor Khumalo at National-Football-Teams.com
  2. Doctor Khumalo takes on Baroka technical director job. sport24.co.za. 17 August 2017.
  3. "LaFerropedia". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  4. "Doctor Khumalo | MLSsoccer.com". Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  5. "South Africa - International Appearances". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  6. "..:: Kaizer Chiefs ::". Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2008.
  7. "Themba The Movie – DIY Blog". Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  8. "South Africa - International Matches 1992-1995". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  9. "South Africa - International Matches 1996-2000". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  10. All-Star Game flashback, 1996 Archived December 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine at MLSsoccer.com

Other websites

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