Teboho Mokoena (soccer, born 1997)

Teboho Mokoena
Personal information
Date of birth	24 January 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Bethlehem, South Africa
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Mamelodi Sundowns
Number	4
Youth career
	SuperSport United
Senior career*
Years	Team
2016–2022	SuperSport United
2022–	Mamelodi Sundowns
International career‡
2017	South Africa U20
2018	South Africa U23
2017–	South Africa
Medal record
Men's football
Representing South Africa
Africa Cup of Nations
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 January 2024; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 February 2024

Teboho Mokoena^[1] (born 24 January 1997) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Premier Soccer League side Mamelodi Sundowns and the South Africa national team. He joined Mamelodi Sundowns on 27 January 2022 during the January transfer window.^[4]

Club career

During his schooling, Mokoena was discovered by Charles Molefe, a teacher doubling up as a soccer coach at Bodikela Junior Secondary School. His performances at school level earned him a sport at the Harmony Sports Academy from where he was picked up by SuperSport United.^[5] At SuperSport United, he progressed through the academy and later captained the club at U-19 level.^[6] He was promoted to the first-team in 2016 by Stuart Baxter and made his professional debut in February the following year, coming on as a late substitute for Cole Alexander in a 5–2 league win over Golden Arrows.^[7]^[8]^[9] In March 2017, after having become a regular feature in SuperSport United's midfield alongside Dean Furman and Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Mokoena was at the centre of a club-versus-country row when Baxter refused to release him for international duty for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup due his commitment to the club's impending Nedbank Cup semi-final match. A compromise was ultimately reached between the two parties, which resulted in Mokoena being specially flown up to join his international teammates after SuperSport United confirmed their progression in the tournament.^[8]^[10] He returned in time for the final but was an unused substitute as the club beat Orlando Pirates 4–1 to claim the title.^[11] Before the final, he had also scored his first professional goal in a 2–2 CAF Confederations Cup draw with TP Mazembe.^[12]

The following season, Mokoena continued to feature regularly for SuperSport United. He managed two goals and two assists for the season, and, despite the club finishing a disappointing eighth in the league, he was nominated for the PSL Young Player of the Season award.^[13] On 13 March 2019, he was awarded the league's Goal of the Month award for January following his strike against Bloemfontein Celtic.^[14]

International career

In July 2017, Mokoena received his first call-up to the senior national team by former SuperSport United manager Stuart Baxter, who had departed the club at the end of the 2016–17 domestic season, for the nation's 2018 African Nations Championship qualifiers. He made his debut on 15 July against Botswana and was praised following the match for his ability to "carry the team on his shoulders".^[15] The following year, he scored his first international goal in South Africa's 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification win over Seychelles.^[16] His goal also contributed towards the nation recording its largest ever victory with the match ending 6–0 in favour of South Africa.^[17]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 30 January 2024^[1]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Cup¹		League Cup²		Continental³		Other⁴		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
SuperSport United	2016–17	PSL	10	0	3	0	0	0	11	1	0	0	24	1
	2017–18		25	2	1	0	1	0	4	0	3	0	34	2
	2018–19		28	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	0	34	3
	2019–20		29	2	1	0	2	0	0	0	4	1	36	3
	2020–21		22	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	25	4
	2021–22		13	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	14	4
	Total		127	15	6	0	5	0	15	1	14	1	167	17
Mamelodi Sundowns	2021–22	PSL	8	1	2	0	0	0	7	1	0	0	17	2
	2022–23		24	1	1	0	0	0	10	1	0	0	35	2
	2023–24		10	0	0	0	0	0	5	2	5	0	20	2
	Total		42	2	3	0	0	0	22	4	5	0	72	6
Career total			169	17	9	0	5	0	37	5	19	1	239	23

¹ Includes Nedbank Cup matches.
² Includes Telkom Knockout matches.
³ Includes CAF Confederations Cup matches.
⁴ Includes MTN 8 matches.

International

As of 11 February 2024^[3]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
South Africa	2017	1	0
	2018	3	1
	2019	3	0
	2020	2	0
	2021	6	2
	2022	6	1
	2023	7	0
	2024	8	2
Total		36	6

Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mokoena goal.

List of international goals scored by Teboho Mokoena
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	13 October 2018	FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Seychelles	6–0	6–0	2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification	^[18]
2	9 October 2021	Bahir Dar Stadium, Amhara Region, Ethiopia	Ethiopia	1–0	3–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	11 November 2021	FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Zimbabwe	1–0	1–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	27 September 2022	FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Botswana	1–0	1–0	Friendly
5	30 January 2024	Laurent Pokou Stadium, San-Pédro, Ivory Coast	Morocco	2–0	2–0	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
6	7 February 2024	Stade de la Paix, Bouaké, Ivory Coast	Nigeria	1–1	1–1 (a.e.t.)	2023 Africa Cup of Nations