After 18 seasons‚ Free State Stars warhorse Paulus Masehe finally finds a pasture

10 May 2019 - 14:33 By Mark Gleeson
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Free State Stars captain Paulus Masehe and Sthembiso Dlamini of Free State Stars celebrate during the Nedbank Cup, Final match between Maritzburg United and Free State Stars at Cape Town Stadium on May 19, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Free State Stars captain Paulus Masehe and Sthembiso Dlamini of Free State Stars celebrate during the Nedbank Cup, Final match between Maritzburg United and Free State Stars at Cape Town Stadium on May 19, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Image: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images

Paulus Masehe will bring the curtain down on 18 seasons in the Premier Soccer League on Saturday but has one last mission — to save Free State Stars from possible relegation.

It will be up against his old club‚ Mamelodi Sundowns‚ that Masehe will lead Stars out at Goble Park in search of Premier Soccer League survival.

Stars need at least a point‚ maybe all three‚ depending on what the other relegation-threatened clubs do in their last games of the season‚ all being played at the same time.

The 35-year-old started his career as a striker at Sundowns and had yet to make a start for the club when he scored his first goal‚ after coming on as a substitute against Santos in September 2002.

His debut came in February 2003 – some 16 years ago now.

After Sundowns‚ Masehe spent 18 months at Pirates before moving to Stars in 2008‚ where he became the engine room of the team.

On Saturday‚ he will have completed 11 seasons with club and take his career tally of matches to 335 with 27 goals.

He was a league champion with Sundowns in 2006 but his finest achievement came last year when he led Stars to the Nedbank Cup trophy with a 1-0 win over Maritzburg United in the final in Cape Town.

Masehe can also count himself among the unluckiest players never to win a Bafana cap.

Stars’ general manager‚ Rantsi Mokoena‚ told TimesLIVE on Friday he plans to keep Masehe on the coaching staff from next season but it is yet undecided what he will do.

Stars’ boss said right now all focus was on trying to keep their top flight status.

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