The first week of the year 2010 is a historical one for Chiefs as the club celebrates its 40th Birthday on the 7th January, as the Amakhosi get ready to celebrate four decades of success kaizerchiefs.com goes back down memory lane and reviews the contributions of a number of players who lead helped Chiefs remain the country’s most successful club particularly over the last decade.

In the first of this series of players who starred for the Amakhosi during the first decade of the 21st century we profile the success of Siyabonga Nomvete, a shy young 20 year old striker who joined Chiefs from African Wanderers in 1998 and left three seasons later as a fan favourite and a feared marksman.

The start

After his club African Wanderers were relegated at the end of the 1997 – 1998 season Siyabonga Nomvete transferred to Chiefs and made his debut for the Amakhosi in the 1998 – 1999 season against Bloemfontein Celtic and scored on his debut on the 8th August 1998 but Chiefs lost the game 2-1. As Nomvete scored the goal he injured himself and was out of action for a few months he did come back later on that season and scored a total of eight goals in his debut season for Chiefs.

A striking sensation

With the departure of top goal scorer Pollen Ndlanya at the culmination of the 1998 – 1999 season many thought Chiefs would struggle to find the target, but Nomvete came to the fore during the 1999 – 2000 season and scored a total of 22 goals in league and cup matches.

Prior to the New Years break Nomvete had scored eleven goals and scored another eleven in all competition when league action resumed in the year 2000. He also famously scored Chiefs first goal of the 21st Century, ironically it came in a league game on the 8th January 2000 against his old team African Wanderers.

The speedy striker also netted three goals including the only one in the 2000 BOB Save Super Bowl against Sundowns as he played a leading role in helping the club haul in their first piece of silverware of the new millennium.

Global Demand

The following season (2000 – 2001) did not start off particularly well for the Durban born striker but soon enough he found his goal scoring form and eventually took his tally for the season into double figures scoring his tenth goal in all competition during a 4-1 Chiefs win over Ria Stars on the 21st January 2001.

In all he would score a total of eighteen goals that season, Nomvete would make further history as he became the first Chiefs player to score ten or more goals in consecutive seasons this century.

At the end of the 2001 season his goal scoring exploits had brought him worldwide attention and he to Italian Seri A side Udinese, Nomvete scored his final goal for Chiefs on the 24th April 2001 in the 65th minute of a 2001 BOB Save Super Bowl ¼ Final match against Bloemfontein Celtic which Chiefs won 5-0.