| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 December 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Tembisa, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lamontville Golden Arrows F.C. | ||
| Number | 28 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Leicester City (South Africa) | |||
| Mighty Tigers | |||
| M Tigers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Free State Stars | 33 | (3) |
| 2012–2019 | Orlando Pirates | 149 | (9) |
| 2019–2020 | Black Leopards | 24 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Swallows | 40 | (0) |
| 2022–2025 | Royal AM | 72 | (5) |
| 2025– | Lamontville Golden Arrows F.C. | 9 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011– | South Africa | 29 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 4 January 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12 November 2016 | |||
Thabo "Festival" Matlaba (born 13 December 1987) is a South African professional association footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier Soccer League club Golden Arrows. He is known for his long range shots with both his feet. Although he plays mostly as a left back, Matlaba is naturally right-footed.
Club career
[edit]Orlando Pirates
[edit]Matlaba played for Orlando Pirates from the 2012 till 2019.[1]
Golden Arrows
[edit]In 2025 he joined Premier Soccer League club Golden Arrows.[2]
International career
[edit]Matlaba made his debut for South Africa on 14 May 2011 versus Tanzania in an international friendly.[3]
Matlaba scored his first international goal with a 40-yard (37 m) drive in a World Cup qualifier against the Central African Republic on 23 March 2013.[4][5]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Free State Stars | 2010–11 | Premier Soccer League | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| 2011–12 | Premier Soccer League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 3 | ||
| Orlando Pirates | 2011–12 | Premier Soccer League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 2012–13 | Premier Soccer League | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2[a] | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| 2013–14 | Premier Soccer League | 25 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11[b] | 2 | 45 | 4 | |
| 2014–15 | Premier Soccer League | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | 23 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | Premier Soccer League | 24 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 3 | |
| 2016–17 | Premier Soccer League | 24 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | Premier Soccer League | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
| Total | 139 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 18 | 3 | 190 | 13 | ||
| Career total | 172 | 12 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 18 | 3 | 223 | 16 | ||
International
[edit]| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 23 March 2013 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa |  Central African Republic |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
References
[edit]- ^ "Former Orlando Pirates captain Thabo Matlaba breaks silence over his controversial exit - 'Rhulani and Happy Jele were close' | Goal.com South Africa". www.goal.com. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ Sithole, Sinethemba (13 April 2025). "Thabo Matlaba & one other Royal AM star spotted at Golden Arrows". FARPost. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ "Bafana defeat Taifa Stars". Supersport. 14 May 2011. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ Eslick, Daniel (25 March 2013). "South Africa Player of the Week: Thabo Matlaba". Goal.com. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ "Thabo Matlaba". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ a b "T. Matlaba". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
External links
[edit]- Thabo Matlaba at National-Football-Teams.com
- Thabo Matlaba at WorldFootball.net
- Thabo Matlaba at Soccerway
 | ||
| ||