Five stars who can contest PSL Footballer of the Season

As the 2025-26 Premier Soccer League season draws to a close with most teams left with five matches, the Footballer of the Season debate is heating up.

Sowetan picks five potential candidates for the prestigious PSL Footballer of the Season accolade.

Relebohile Mofokeng (Orlando Pirates)

The 21-year-old had a slow start to the campaign, only scoring his first league goal in Pirates’ 12th league game. From there, Mofokeng has not looked back, establishing himself as the hottest property in the league.

The Bafana Bafana star, who has been playing mainly as a playmaker rather than as a winger this season, has played a crucial role in Pirates’ title push. Mofokeng also helped Pirates win the MTN8 and the Carling Knockout. He has scored 11 goals and racked up eight assists from 31 games in all competitions.

Oswin Appollis (Orlando Pirates)

Joining Pirates from Polokwane City, Appollis, 24, has swiftly established himself as a crucial player at the Soweto giants. The winger has forged a notably effective partnership with Mofokeng.

The Bafana star also played a central role in Bucs winning the MTN8 and the Carling Knockout. For a new player, Appollis’s impact at Pirates has been enormous, having found the back of the net 11th times with nine assists from 38 fixtures.

Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns)

The evergreen Mokoena, who won PSL Footballer of the Season in the 2022-23 season, has been solid again this campaign. The illustrious 29-year-old midfielder has influenced a number of games for the Brazilians, especially in the league as they aim for what would be their ninth league title.

The Bafana midfield workhorse has found the back of the net five times with one assist from 32 outings across all competitions.

Marcelo Allende (Mamelodi Sundowns)

Allende has been in top form this season. The 27-year-old midfielder has been the tactical and technical heartbeat of Sundowns, also contributing five goals and four assists from 39 outings across all competitions.

The Chilean’s style blends elite positional intelligence, unrivalled ball retention, composure under pressure and a huge work-rate, covering every blade of grass in the middle of the park to dictate the tempo of games. That combines with his robust midfield shielding of his defence and a growing ability to score clutch goals.

Brandon Petersen (Kaizer Chiefs)

Petersen has been at the centre of Chiefs’ form of a resurgence this season. The goalkepeer has decided matches for Amakhosi.

The 31-year-old shot-stopper boasts 13 clean sheets from 19 league games, with Pirates’ Sipho Chaine the only keeper with more (17). Petersen missed five league games after undergoing appendix surgery late in February. In his absence, Chiefs lost two games and conceded five times.

Sowetan