Mbekezeli Mbokazi produced one of the standout individual performances of South Africa’s World Cup in the moment that mattered most, delivering a commanding defensive display in Bafana Bafana’s heartbreaking 1-0 Round of 32 defeat to Canada.
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The 20-year-old won six of his eight ground duels, made three tackles, five clearances and one interception, while completing 91 percent of his passes and adding three recoveries. His standout moment came when he read a loose ball inside his own box ahead of Jonathan David, denying Canada what would have been a simple tap-in.
It capped off a remarkable individual tournament. Earlier in the group stage, analytics firm Gradient Sports ranked Mbokazi the best-performing centre-back at the entire World Cup, with an overall grade of 86.0 from 158 defenders assessed, including a positioning score of 86.6, a clearance rating of 82.7 and a passing grade of 76.7. His one-on-one defending ranked fourth in the world among centre-backs.
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The recognition has followed him throughout the competition. Mbokazi was named among just eight breakout young stars heading into the tournament, alongside the likes of Lamine Yamal and Desire Doue.
South Africa’s World Cup may be over, but Mbokazi leaves the tournament with his reputation enhanced. He arrived as a relative unknown on the World Stage, he leaves as one of the breakout stars of the entire competition.
Photo: Fran Santiago/Getty Images
