Teboho Mokoena (soccer, born 1997)
South African soccer player
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Teboho Mokoena[1] (born 24 January 1997) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Premiership side Mamelodi Sundowns and the South Africa national team.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 January 1997[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bethlehem, South Africa[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Mamelodi Sundowns | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| SuperSport United | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2022 | SuperSport United | 127 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Mamelodi Sundowns | 81 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | South Africa U20 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018 | South Africa U23 | 5 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017– | South Africa | 50 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 November 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
During his schooling, Mokoena was discovered by Charles Molefe, a teacher doubling up as a soccer coach at Bodikela Junior Secondary School. His performances at school level earned him a sport at the Harmony Sports Academy from where he was picked up by SuperSport United.[4] At SuperSport United, he progressed through the academy and later captained the club at U-19 level.[5] He was promoted to the first-team in 2016 by Stuart Baxter and made his professional debut in February the following year, coming on as a late substitute for Cole Alexander in a 5–2 league win over Golden Arrows.[6][7][8] In March 2017, after having become a regular feature in SuperSport United's midfield alongside Dean Furman and Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Mokoena was at the centre of a club-versus-country row when Baxter refused to release him for international duty for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup due his commitment to the club's impending Nedbank Cup semi-final match. A compromise was ultimately reached between the two parties, which resulted in Mokoena being specially flown up to join his international teammates after SuperSport United confirmed their progression in the tournament.[7][9] He returned in time for the final but was an unused substitute as the club beat Orlando Pirates 4–1 to claim the title.[10] Before the final, he had also scored his first professional goal in a 2–2 CAF Confederations Cup draw with TP Mazembe.[11]
The following season, Mokoena continued to feature regularly for SuperSport United. He managed two goals and two assists for the season, and, despite the club finishing a disappointing eighth in the league, he was nominated for the PSL Young Player of the Season award.[12] On 13 March 2019, he was awarded the league's Goal of the Month award for January following his strike against Bloemfontein Celtic.[13]
International career
In July 2017, Mokoena received his first call-up to the senior national team by former SuperSport United manager Stuart Baxter, who had departed the club at the end of the 2016–17 domestic season, for the nation's 2018 African Nations Championship qualifiers. He made his debut on 15 July against Botswana and was praised following the match for his ability to "carry the team on his shoulders".[14] The following year, he scored his first international goal in South Africa's 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification win over Seychelles.[15] His goal also contributed towards the nation recording its largest ever victory with the match ending 6–0 in favour of South Africa.[16]
Mokoena was later involved in a major scandal when he failed to serve one-match suspension in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification home match against Lesotho, which resulted in South Africa being handed a 3–0 walkover loss (having won 2–0 earlier).[17] Nonetheless, thanked to favourable results earlier, South Africa were able to rebound and qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On 1 December 2025, Mokoena was called up to the South Africa squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.[18]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 30 January 2024[1]
| Club | Season | League | Cup1 | League Cup2 | Continental3 | Other4 | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| SuperSport United | 2016–17 | Premiership | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| 2017–18 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 3 | ||
| 2019–20 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2020–21 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 4 | ||
| Total | 127 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 167 | 17 | ||
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 2021–22 | Premiership | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
| 2022–23 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 6 | ||
| Total | 58 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 88 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 169 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 37 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 239 | 23 | ||
1 Includes Nedbank Cup matches.
2 Includes Telkom Knockout matches.
3 Includes CAF Confederations Cup matches.
4 Includes MTN 8 matches.
International
- As of 19 November 2024[3]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 17 | 5 | |
| Total | 45 | 9 | |
- Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mokoena goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2018 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Seychelles |
6–0 | 6–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | [19] |
| 2 | 9 October 2021 | Bahir Dar Stadium, Amhara Region, Ethiopia |  Ethiopia | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 11 November 2021 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Zimbabwe | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 4 | 27 September 2022 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Botswana | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 5 | 30 January 2024 | Laurent Pokou Stadium, San-Pédro, Ivory Coast |  Morocco | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 6 | 7 February 2024 | Stade de la Paix, Bouaké, Ivory Coast |  Nigeria | 1–1 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 7 | 11 October 2024 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha, South Africa |  Congo | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 8 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 9 | 19 November 2024 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa |  South Sudan | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
Honours
SuperSport United
Mamelodi Sundowns
- South African Premier Division: 2022–23, 2023–24
- Africa Football League: 2023
- CAF Champions League: 2025–26
South Africa
- Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2023[21]
Individual
- Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2023 Footballer of the season: 2023–24[22]
- PSL Player of the season: 2023–24