Thembinkosi Lorch (born 22 July 1993) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Orlando Pirates and the South African national team. He was named the South African Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season in 2019.[1][2]'[3]
Personal information | |||
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Date of birth | (1993-07-22) 22 July 1993 (age 29) | ||
Place of birth | Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa | ||
Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Orlando Pirates | ||
Number | 3 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013–2015 | Maluti FET College | 46 | (9) |
2015– | Orlando Pirates | 93 | (51) |
2015–2016 | Cape Town All Stars (loan) | 23 | (5) |
2016–2017 | Chippa United (loan) | 13 | (3) |
National team‡ | |||
2016– | South Africa | 7 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:35, 29 May 2021 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 01:21, 12 July 2019 (UTC) |
Thembinkosi Lorch nicknamed "Nyoso" started his career at Maluti FET College FC and after a game against Jomo Cosmos, got a call from Screamer Tshabalala who told him that Pirates was interested in him. His first PSL game was against Free State Stars, playing for Chippa United on loan from Orlando Pirates. DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small's 2019 song, titled Lorch, was inspired by and named after him.[4]
In the early morning of 7 September 2020, Lorch was arrested for allegedly assaulting his then-girlfriend, Nokuphiwa Mathithibala. This came after she had opened up a case of assault against him at Midrand Police station indicating that Lorch had strangled her after she had asked about his whereabouts.[5] In January 2021, the assault case was provisionally withdrawn with the prosecutor instructing police to investigate further.[6]
Lorch briefly dated actress Natasha Thahane from June to September 2021.[7]
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
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South Africa | 2016 | 2 | 0 |
2017 | 0 | 0 | |
2018 | 1 | 0 | |
2019 | 4 | 1 | |
Total | 7 | 1 |
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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1 | 6 July 2019 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
South Africa squad – 2019 Africa Cup of Nations | ||
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Orlando Pirates F.C. – current squad | |
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PSL Player of the Season | |
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