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Bruce Chikuni
Sports Reporter
FORMER Dynamos and Gunners striker Norman Maroto believes Khama Billiat has what it takes to surpass the 20-goal mark.
Billiat joined Yadah on a one-year contract after 10 months of inactivity following the expiry of his contract at Kaizer Chiefs.
Maroto is the last player to score, at least 20 goals, in the domestic Premier Soccer League as he netted 22 goals to claim the Golden Boot 14 years ago.
Interestingly, that was the same year that Billiat made his breakthrough when he moved to South Africa’s Ajax Cape Town from CAPS United before the mid-season break.
Maroto believes his record will be under a real threat this season.
“I don’t believe that record will stand for a long time because I am very convinced that we have strikers who are very capable of setting new records.
“But I just don’t know what is taking them so long to make that happen.
“The arrival of Billiat has me believing that he is likely going to change those statistics because he is someone who has been on the African football awards podium receiving the second-best player on the continent award,” said Maroto.
The numbers that Billiat accumulated, during his time in South Africa, are impossible to ignore.
He scored 97 goals during his time with Ajax Cape Town, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs as a winger.
He was Mzansi’s best player during the 2015/16 season.
And it’s not only Maroto’s record that Billiat is expected to go after.
Ralph Matema scored 12 goals in the 2019 season, which is ranked as the best by any Yadah player since their arrival in the top-flight league.
And this will require Billiat just 13 goals to surpass Matema’s tally.
Bongani Ndlovu
Mathew Masinge