sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Linda Maserame Motlhalo (born 1 July 1998) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Swedish club Djurgården and the South Africa women's national team. She is also known as the 'Randfontein Ronaldinho'.

Linda Motlhalo

Personal information
Full name	Linda Maserame Motlhalo[1]
Date of birth	(1998-07-01) 1 July 1998 (age 24)
Place of birth	Brandvlei, Gauteng, South Africa
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Club information
Current team	Djurgården
Number	11
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	JVW F.C.
2018	Houston Dash	21	(1)
2019	Beijing BG Phoenix	14	(2)
2020–	Djurgården	56	(2)
National team
2015–	South Africa	52	(16)
Honours Representing  South Africa Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2018 Ghana 2022 Morocco
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 June 2022

Early life

Linda Motlhalo was born in Badirile, Brandvlei, in Randfontein, Gauteng, on 7 January 1998.[2] Her family has a footballing history, with her father Johannes Motlhalo attempting to become a professional player. Although he failed to do so, his brother Joseph Motlhalo became a goalkeeper for Kaizer Chiefs F.C. between 1970 and 1985.[3]

Motlhalo attended TuksSport High School, during which time she was part of the South African High Performance Centre in Pretoria.[4]

Club career

Houston Dash, 2018

On 1 February 2018 Motlhalo signed with the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. She was brought in by Dash head coach Vera Pauw who coached the South African national team from 2014 to 2016.[5] Motlhalo made 21 NWSL appearances for the Dash and scored 1 goal.^{[citation needed]}

Motlhalo was waived by the Houston Dash on 6 February 2019.[6]

Beijing BG Phoenix F.C., 2019

On 22 February 2019 Motlhalo was unveiled as a player of Beijing BG Phoenix F.C. in the Chinese Women's Super League, joining her South African and former Houston Dash teammate Thembi Kgatlana who also made the move to China.[7]

Motlhalo started all 14 league games for Beijing across the 2019 season as the team finished fifth in the CWSL, playing the majority of the campaign in a deeper central midfield role. She also helped guide Beijing to a semifinal finish in the Chinese Women's Championship.

Djurgårdens IF, 2020 – present

On 18 January 2020 it was announced that Motlhalo had joined Swedish side Djurgårdens IF on a two-year deal, subject to receipt of her working visa.[8]

Motlhalo made her debut on 22 February 2020, scoring twice after coming on as a substitute in a Stockholm derby victory over AIK.[9] In January 2021 she was named Newcomer of the Year by her Djurgården teammates for her performances across the 2020 season.[10]

In January 2022 it was announced that Motlhalo had signed a new two-year contract to remain at the club.[11]

International career

While attending the High Performance Centre, Motlhalo played for the South Africa women's national under-20 football team as a forward. This included in matches as part of the 2015 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament.[12]

Motlhalo was called up to the senior squad for the first time in October 2015, following an injury to Thembi Kgatlana which caused her to be withdrawn from the team.[12] Motlhalo did not play at the time, but instead made her debut against Cameroon in 2016,[4] in which she scored in the 2–2 draw.[3] She said, "I am just happy to have been part of this team. The senior players have made me feel at home and it was good to rub shoulders with the likes of Janine and Amanda. I really enjoyed my time here."

In 2016, Motlhalo attended the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, before playing the 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon as part of the Banyana Banyana side.

At the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations in Ghana, Motlhalo started all five games for South Africa as the team reached the final of the competition before losing to Nigeria on penalties. She scored one goal at the competition and was named Player of the Match during her side's semifinal encounter with Mali.[4]

Motlhalo attended the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup with South Africa but came into the tournament struggling with injury. While she started the side's opening game with Spain, the remainder of her tournament was limited to a late substitute appearance against China.

In September 2021, Motlhalo scored for South Africa in a decisive 4–2 win over Nigeria as Banyana Banyana won the inaugural Aisha Buhari Cup in Lagos.[13] Motlhalo was subsequently South Africa's top-scorer in qualification for the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations, scoring five goals across four fixtures with Mozambique and Algeria to help Banyana Banyana book a place at the finals.[14]

International goals

Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	29 March 2016	Stade Municipal de Limbe, Limbe, Cameroon	Cameroon	1–1	2–2	International Friendly
2	25 November 2016	Stade Municipal de Limbe, Limbe, Cameroon	Egypt	5–0	5–0	2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations
5	17 September 2018	Wolfson Stadium, KwaZakele, South Africa	Malawi	1–0	6–0	2018 COSAFA Women's Championship
6	17 September 2018	Wolfson Stadium, KwaZakele, South Africa	Malawi	5–0	6–0	2018 COSAFA Women's Championship
7	17 September 2018	Wolfson Stadium, KwaZakele, South Africa	Malawi	6–0	6–0	2018 COSAFA Women's Championship
8	20 September 2018	Wolfson Stadium, KwaZakele, South Africa	Uganda	1–0	2–0	2018 COSAFA Women's Championship
9	21 November 2018	Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Ghana	Equatorial Guinea	1–0	7–1	2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations
10	7 April 2019	Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa	Jamaica	1–1	1-1	International Friendly
11	21 September 2021	Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria	Nigeria	2–0	4-2	Aisha Buhari Cup
12	20 October 2021	Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Angola	Mozambique	2–0	7-0	2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualification
13				7–0
14	26 October 2021	Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Mozambique	2–0	6-0	2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualification
15				5–0
16	23 February 2022	Stade Omar Hamadi, Algiers, Algeria	Algeria	1–1	1–1	2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

International

• 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations Winner
• 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations runner-up
• 2021 Aisha Buhari Cup champion

Individual

• 2018 COSAFA Women's Championship top-scorer
• 2020 Djurgårdens IF Newcomer of the Year[15]

References

External links

• Linda Motlhalo at Soccerway
• Houston Dash bio
• Linda Maserame Motlhalo at SvFF (in Swedish)
• Linda Maserame Motlhalo club team profile at SvFF (in Swedish)

На других языках

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- [en] Linda Motlhalo

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[fr] Linda Motlhalo

Linda Maserame Motlhalo, née le 1er juillet 1998, est une footballeuse sud-africaine. Elle joue pour le Beijing BG Phoenix FC en Super League chinoise et pour l'équipe d'Afrique du Sud.

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