It was Kaizer Motaung Jr.’s day. The son of Kaizer Motaung, who was a top goal scorer in the United States before he founded the Kaiser Chiefs Club in Johannesburg, South Africa, headed in the only goal of his team and Mamelodi Sundowns. After the 1-0 win, Kaizer Jr. was said to have taken another step out of the shadow of his father. He had been dreaming of a soccer career in Europe, just as almost any player that has ever taken up the sport has. He tried out unsuccessfully for 1860 Munich in Germany and went to the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg before returning to the Kaizer Chiefs.
The most popular club in South Africa needed a goal scorer but did not take Junior into consideration every time. According to coach Vladimir Vermezovic, who was hired two years ago, Motaung’s son is different and better for the team than he used to be. “He wasn’t injured,” Vermezovic once explained. “He was out of the team because we have better strikers than Kaizer Jr. He is back because he’s much more serious now.”
