Thabo Cele

{{short description|South African footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox football biography |name= Thabo Cele |image = Thabo Cele 2024.jpg |caption = Cele with Fakel Voronezh in 2024 |birth_date= {{birth date and age|1997|1|15|df=y}} |birth_place= KwaMashu, South Africa |height = {{height|m=1.78}}<ref name=sw>{{soccerway|thabo-cele/459956}}</ref> |position= Midfielder |currentclub = Kaizer Chiefs |clubnumber = 21 |youthyears1 = 2012-2013 |youthclubs1 = Kwamashu Arsenal |youthyears2 = 2014–2015 |youthclubs2 = KwaMashu All Stars |youthyears3 = 2015–2016 |youthclubs3 = KZN Football Academy |years1= 2016–2017 |clubs1= Real |caps1= 24 |goals1= 2 |years2= 2017–2018 |clubs2= Benfica B |caps2= 6 |goals2= 0 |years3= 2018 |clubs3= → Real (loan) |caps3= 14 |goals3= 1 |years4= 2018–2021 |clubs4= Cova da Piedade |caps4= 70 |goals4= 5 |years5= 2021–2023 |clubs5= Radomiak Radom |caps5= 33 |goals5= 0 |years6= 2023–2025 |clubs6= Fakel Voronezh |caps6= 18 |goals6= 0 |years7 = 2025– |clubs7 = Kaizer Chiefs |caps7 = 21 |goals7 = 0 |nationalyears1= 2017 |nationalteam1= South Africa U20 |nationalcaps1= 3 |nationalgoals1= 0 |nationalyears2= 2019–2021 |nationalteam2= South Africa U23 |nationalcaps2= 6 |nationalgoals2= 0 |nationalyears3= 2017– |nationalteam3= South Africa |nationalcaps3= 5 |nationalgoals3= 0 |club-update = 4 January 2026 |nationalteam-update = 19:55, 14 July 2023 (UTC) }}

'''Thabo Cele''' (born 15 January 1997) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for South African Premiership club Kaizer Chiefs.

==Career== Cele was born in KwaMashu.<ref name=sw />

In 2016, Cele signed for Portuguese third division side Real from the KZN Academy in South Africa.<ref>[https://www.futebol365.pt/artigo/177292-carlos-catalino-benfica-esta-entusiasmado-com-thabo-cele/ Carlos Catalino: «Benfica está entusiasmado com Thabo Cele»]. ''futebol365.pt''.</ref>

In 2017, he signed for Benfica, Portugal's most successful club, before returning to Real on loan.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In 2018, Cele moved to Cova da Piedade in the Portuguese second division.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

On 12 October 2021, after training with the team since September, Cele joined Polish side Radomiak Radom on a two-year deal.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Radomiak Radom|url=https://www.radomiak.pl/artykul-4425-thabo_cele_w_radomiaku_.html|title=Thabo Cele w Radomiaku!|date=12 October 2021|language=Polish|access-date=12 October 2021|archive-date=10 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610225324/https://www.radomiak.pl/artykul-4425-thabo_cele_w_radomiaku_.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 16 August 2023, Cele was transferred to Russian Premier League club Fakel Voronezh.<ref>{{cite web |title=Табо Селе – игрок "Факела" |url=https://fakelfc.ru/news/view/9213-tabo-sele-igrok-fakela |publisher=FC Fakel Voronezh |access-date=16 August 2023 |language=ru |date=16 August 2023}}</ref> In January 2025, Cele left Fakel by mutual consent.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=FC Fakel Voronezh|url=https://fakelfc.ru/news/view/9709-tabo-sele-pokidaet-fakel|title=Табо Селе покидает «Факел»|date=21 January 2025|language=ru}}</ref>

On 27 January 2025, Cele signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Kaizer Chiefs.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Kaizer Chiefs F.C.|url=https://www.kaizerchiefs.com/team-news/chiefs-strengthen-squad-signing-cele|title=Chiefs strengthen squad with signing of Cele|date=27 January 2025}}</ref>

==Career statistics== ===Club=== {{updated|match played 9 November 2024}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National cup{{efn|Includes Taça de Portugal, Russian Cup}} !colspan="2"|League cup{{efn|Includes Taça da Liga}} !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |Real |2016–17 |Campeonato de Portugal |24||2||4||1||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||28||3 |- |Benfica B |2017–18 |Liga Portugal 2 |6||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||6||0 |- |Real (loan) |2017–18 |Liga Portugal 2 |14||1||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||14||1 |- |rowspan="4"|Cova da Piedade |2018–19 |Liga Portugal 2 |27||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||27||2 |- |2019–20 |Liga Portugal 2 |14||0||0||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||15||0 |- |2020–21 |Liga Portugal 2 |29||3||2||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||31||3 |- !colspan="2"|Total !70!!5!!2!!0!!1!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!73!!5 |- |rowspan="3"|Radomiak Radom |2021–22 |Ekstraklasa |13||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||13||0 |- |2022–23 |Ekstraklasa |20||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||20||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !33!!0!!0!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!33!!0 |- |rowspan="3"|Fakel Voronezh |2023–24 |Russian Premier League |9||0||4||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||13||0 |- |2024–25 |Russian Premier League |9||0||5||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||14||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !18!!0!!9!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!27!!0 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !165!!8!!15!!1!!1!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!181!!9 |} {{Notelist}}

===International=== {{updated|match played 14 July 2023}}<ref name="NFT">{{NFT player|id=68522|access-date=16 January 2026}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="3"|South Africa |- |2017||1||0 |- |2023||4||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total!!5!!0 |}

==Honours== '''Kaizer Chiefs''' * Nedbank Cup: 2024–25<ref>{{cite web |title=Thabo Cele |url=http://www.90minut.pl/kariera.php?id=44426 |website=90minut.pl |access-date=16 January 2026 |language=pl}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{90minut|id=44426}} * {{NFT player|68522}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cele, Thabo}} Category:1997 births Category:Living people Category:People from KwaMashu Category:South African men's soccer players Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:C.D. Cova da Piedade players Category:Real Sport Clube players Category:S.L. Benfica footballers Category:Radomiak Radom players Category:FC Fakel Voronezh players Category:Kaizer Chiefs F.C. players Category:Liga Portugal 2 players Category:Ekstraklasa players Category:Russian Premier League players Category:South African Premier Division players Category:South African expatriate men's soccer players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Category:South African expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Poland Category:South African expatriate sportspeople in Poland Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Russia Category:South African expatriate sportspeople in Russia Category:Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic soccer players for South Africa Category:21st-century South African sportsmen