Siphiwe Tshabalala’s Stunning World Cup Goal Against Mexico Invokes National Pride, 12 Years On

• On this day in sporting history, Siphiwe 'Shabba' Tshabalala scored his infamous stunning strike against Mexico
• Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the opening goal of the tournament as South Africa went on to draw with Mexico
• Bafana Bafana icon Siphiwe Tshabalala will always be remembered for the thunderbolt left-footed strike in 2010

11 June holds a very special day in the hearts of all South Africans.

On this day, the country competed in their first FIFA World Cup as hosts of the tournament, drawing against Mexico.

But this day will forever be immortalized for another reason; Siphiwe Tshabalala’s stunning strike against the Mexicans.

Shabba’s left-footed thunderbolt gave the South Africans the lead and have the country something to be proud of.

As Peter Drury described it at the time, it was a “Goal Bafana Bafana, goal for South Africa, goal for all Africa.”

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Athletics

The goal has gone down in history as one of the most memorable goals ever scored in a World Cup. The touchline celebrations also became as memorable as the goal itself.

In case you’ve forgotten that amazing moment, you can watch it below.

Shabba has often spoken about the moment, describing it as the greatest goal of his career, FIFA reported.

“That was always going to be the biggest goal in my career, no matter what came after, because it touched so many lives and brought joy to so many people,” he said. “I’ll always love it – it’s beautiful – but the goal is bigger than me as an individual,” Shabba said.

Siphiwe Tshabalala has no plans to retire just yet, Former Kaizer Chiefs star is looking for a new club

Former Bafana player and Kaizer Chiefs player Siphiwe Tshabalala may be 37-years-old but he has no plans of retiring anytime soon according to the player's agent.

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Tshabalala has been without a club since he was released by Amazulu before the start of the current Premier Soccer League (PSL) season.

Since his release from Amazulu, Tshabalala has not played a professional game leading many to believe that he had retired or was at least considering hanging up his boots. But speaking to KickOff his representative Jazzman Mahlakgane said that the former Kaizer Chiefs player had no thoughts about retiring anytime soon.

Qatar World Cup to have robot linesmen as FIFA set to try new technology in the global showpiece

The president of the world’s football governing body FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has considered introducing the “semi-automated offside” system at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

It was gathered that the system which uses 10 cameras to track 29 body points of each player was first adopted at the Club World Cup which was won by Premier League club Chelsea.

The technology was also used at the recent Arab Cup which was held inside four of the eight World Cup stadiums in Doha.