What does the future hold for Billiat?

JOHANNESBURG. — Zimbabwe international striker Khama Billiat will be entering his first full season since he retired from international football and he will be ready to give his all to South African Premiership giants Kaizer Chiefs.

The former Zimbabwe international enjoyed one of his better seasons since he joined the Soweto giants from Mamelodi Sundowns in 2018. Billiat showed glimpses of what he is capable of as he produced some eye-catching displays – scoring and creating goals. However, the man nicknamed Gaucho due to his quick thinking and nifty footwork which is derived from Brazilian icon Ronaldinho, couldn’t propel Chiefs to a top-three finish in the league and qualify for a Caf tournament.

The Glamour Boys finished fifth in the league and they also failed to win a major trophy in the process.

The story of last season…

Billiat reunited with former Sundowns teammate Keagan Dolly at Chiefs prior to the start of the campaign and they hit the ground running. The duo combined well in the final third and caused havoc for the opposition’s defence including the MTN8 quarter-final match against Sundowns, in which Dolly came off the bench to assist Billiat, who scored Amakhosi’s second goal as the two teams drew 2-2, but Chiefs lost on penalties.

Amakhosi then endured a four-match winless run in the league following their cup elimination, but they ended the winless run in style as Gaucho provided two assists and scored once in a 4-0 win over Chippa United in October last year.

The former Ajax Cape Town star then announced his retirement from international football in the following month as he looked to focus on his club career. Billiat ended the year on high scoring three goals in his last three matches in 2021.

Billiat and Chiefs got off to a promising start as the team secured back-to-back wins over Orlando Pirates and Baroka FC in the league with the Harare-born star dazzling, but this was after the Soweto giants’ elimination from the Nedbank Cup. However, inconsistency at the back end of the season saw Chiefs finish the term winless in their last three games with Gaucho scoring against Lamontville Golden Arrows and Marumo Gallants. The immensely talented player netted nine goals and provided eight assists across all competitions. Boasting eight assists, no player created more goals than Billiat in the PSL.

Any transfer rumours?…

With Billiat having signed a two-year contract extension at Chiefs last year, the accomplished player will be entering the final of his current deal. The 31-year-old, who is among the highest-paid players in South African club football, is expected to stay put at the Naturena-based giants and there have been no rumours linking him with a move away from the childhood team while also being among the club’s most prized assets.

One big hope for 2022/23…

For coach Arthur Zwane to find a way to bring the best out of Billiat who showed that he remains a top-quality player in glimpses last season. Under Chiefs’ recent coaches, Ernst Middendorp, Gavin Hunt and Stuart Baxter, Billiat often struggled with Amakhosi being described as a long-ball team which relied heavily on scoring from set-pieces or long balls.

Gaucho played his best football at Sundowns while flourishing playing in attractive and passing football. It is something that Zwane has indicated that he is looking to implement at the Naturena-based giants. If Zwane succeeds in doing so, we could finally see the Billiat who inspired Sundowns to the PSL title and Caf Champions League trophy in 2016 as one of the best players in Africa.

One big fear for 2022/23…

Billiat was hit by niggling injuries in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns which saw him make 29 league appearances during that period and score just four goals in the process.

However, he seemed to have overcome his injury woes in the recent campaign as he played 27 league games and he needs to stay injury-free in order to stand a good chance of playing his best football again.

GOAL’s prediction for 2022/23…

A fit and hungry Billiat is still among the best attackers in the country and he will look to continue from where he left off this past term.

Only consistent performances can earn him the PSL Footballer of the Year nomination having won the accolade in 2016.