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Attacking instinct Souh Africa's Mabizela has instinct for goalsPosted: Thursday April 25, 2002 6:03 AMCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- One of three children, Mbulelo Mabizela is a young Zulu soccer player whose strong family ties have provided him with a springboard into the big time. He still helps his mother with renovations in the family home in his spare time and still phones home every day when he is away. The Orlando Pirates defender has had a meteoric rise, making the starting lineup of his club team in South Africa's Premiership and of the national team in the same year. Despite playing as a defender, Mabizela, also known by his maternal name, Mbulelo Oldjohn, seems to have a natural instinct to go for goals. This, coupled with speed and technical skills, has made him something of a threat at the local level. Although he has struggled to convert that into goals at the international level in his short career, he still operates from the premise that he wants to get onto the scoresheet every time he plays. He was somewhat erratic in his performances for South Africa in the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali, where South Africa looked woefully short of ideas on attack, and porous on defense. However, he hasn't lost the confidence of national team coach Jomo Sono. Because of his natural attacking game, Mabizela adds a dimension of attack from defense to any team for which he plays, and it is a dimension that has been nurtured by a succession of club coaches. Although he is used on the right in the national team, he is by instinct a central defender, modeling his game on Italy's Franco Baresi.
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