Doctor Khumalo: South African footballer

He is best known for being a star midfielder for Kaizer Chiefs as well as the South African national team. Khumalo is regarded as one of the best South African midfielders of his generation. He was known as a strong player who stood out for his leadership, his passing ability, dribbling, tackling, and his ability to score a goal. He won the 1996 African Cup of Nations with South Africa beating Tunisia with the score 2-0. He was named South African Footballer of the Year in 1992. His nickname was "Doctor" because of his intellingence in midfield. Considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of Kaizer Chiefs.

Doctor Khumalo

Personal information
Full name	Theophilus Doctorson Khumalo
Date of birth	(1967-06-26) 26 June 1967 (age 56)
Place of birth	Soweto, South Africa
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Central Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Baroka (technical director)
Youth career
1984–1985	Moroka Swallows
1985–1986	Kaizer Chiefs
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1987–2004	Kaizer Chiefs	397	(75)
1995	→ Ferro Carril Oeste (loan)	4	(1)
1996–1997	→ Columbus Crew (loan)	43	(5)
Total		444	(81)
National team
1992–2001	South Africa	50	(9)
Honours Men's Football Representing  South Africa (as player) African Cup of Nations Runner-up 1996 South Africa
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Khumalo started playing football in 1984 with Swallows Reserves. Khumalo then went to Kaizer Chiefs, where he played for the junior team. His father, Eliakim Khumalo, a renowned player of the 1970s and early 1980s, served as his mentor. Khumalo was promoted to the senior team by coach Ted Dumitru the following year. He started a game against arch rivals Orlando Pirates.

Khumalo went on to become a star player for Kaizer Chiefs and did not play for any other South African soccer club. He only left them for short overseas playing periods. He signed with FIFA agent Marcelo Houseman who first took him to Argentinian club Ferro Carril Oeste for six months in 1995 In 1996 and 1997 he played for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.

The high-point of Khumalo's soccer career was the 1990s. He was part of the Kaizer Chiefs teams that won three South African league championship titles and five knockout trophies. He was voted South African Footballer of the Year in 1992. During his career at the club, he played in a total of 397 league and cup games, scoring 75 goals.

After the re-admission of South Africa to FIFA in 1992, Khumalo was selected to be a member of the South African squad for its first official international match in July of the same year, against Cameroon. South Africa won the match 1–0, due to a penalty scored by Khumalo. He was a leading member of the winning South African national team at the 1996 African Cup of Nations . He represented South Africa in the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Throughout his whole international career, he played for South Africa 50 times (twice as captain), scoring nine goals. He was the 13th most capped South African footballer. Khumalo turned down a chance to play for the 1998 and 2000 African Cup of Nations. He made his international farewell in 2001.

One of Doctor Khumalo's most memorable games was the 1996 Mandela Cup match. South Africa played against Brazil. Phil Masinga scored the first goal from Doctor Khumalo's corner kick. Khumalo then scored the second goal to make the score 2–0 in favour of the South Africans. Unfortunately for Bafana, Brazil came back in the second half, scoring three goals, to win 3–2.

He retired in 2002 and then in 2004 as a player-coach. He was a winning co-coach (with Donald "Ace" Khuse) of Kaizer Chiefs in the 2002–2003 season. The club had a 12-game unbeaten record. They earned themselves a joint Coach of the Month PSL award. Khumalo stated that his aim is to become a soccer administrator. Since 2004, Khumalo served as a television soccer commentator and presenter. He was also South African Under-17 national coach.

Khumalo was voted 62nd in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004. He is married to Namibian beauty queen Blanche Garises.

He has a SAFA Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 coaching licences, an English Football Association licence which he got in 2005 and a UEFA B licence through the German Football Federation in 2007. He previously worked as head coach for the Kaizer Chiefs Under-17 team and together with Khuse. He was the assistant coach for Kaizer Chiefs

Khumalo made his film acting debut with the German/South African production Themba. He plays himself as the coach of the under 21s. The movie is about Themba, a young and ambitious football youth, who is faced with poverty, AIDS and violence. Eventually he makes his way on to the South African national team. The film is based on a novel by Lutz van Dijk and premiered at the Berlinale 2010.

International goals

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

List of international goals scored by Doctor Khumalo

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 July 1992	Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa	Cameroon	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2	10 May 1994	Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa	Zambia	2–0	2–1	Friendly
3	13 November 1994	Independence Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia	Zambia	1–0	1–1	1996 AFCON Qualifier
4	29 November 1994	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, South Africa	Ghana	2–0	2–1	Simba Cup
5	26 April 1995	Setsoto Stadium, Maseru, Lesotho	Lesotho	1–0	3–1	Friendly
6	13 May 1995	Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa	Argentina	1–0	1–1	Friendly
7	30 September 1995	FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Mozambique	3–2	3–2	Friendly
8	24 April 1996	FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Brazil	2–0	2–3	Friendly
9	27 April 1997	Stade de Kégué, Lomé, Togo	Zaire	1–0	2–1	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification

Kaizer Chiefs

• Champion of South Africa: 1991, 1992
• BP Top 8: 1991, 1992, 1994

International

South Africa

• 1996 African Cup of Nations

Individual

• MLS All-Star: 1996