Khanya Leshabela

Khanya Leshabela

Personal information
Full name	Thakgalo Khanya Leshabela [1]
Date of birth	(1999-09-18) 18 September 1999 (age 24) [2]
Place of birth	Soshanguve, South Africa
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) [3]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Enfield Town
Youth career
2008–2009	Parklands Tigers
2009–2013	Gregory Celtics
2013–2021	Leicester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2021–2023	Leicester City	1	(0)
2021–2022	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	3	(0)
2022–2023	→ Crewe Alexandra (loan)	10	(0)
2024	Cape Town City	8	(0)
2024–	Enfield Town	0	(0)
International career
2019	South Africa U20	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 August 2024

Thakgalo Khanya Leshabela (born 18 September 1999) is a South African soccer player who plays as a midfielder for National League South club Enfield Town. ^[4]

Born in Soshanguve, South Africa, Leshabela grew up in Northampton, England. He started his career at Leicester City where he signed his first professional contract in January 2019 before making his Premier League debut in March 2021.

Early life

Leshabela was born in the township of Soshanguve, near Pretoria, though his parents were originally from Limpopo. ^[5] At the age of 2, Leshabela moved from South Africa to Northampton, England. ^[5] He was educated at Northampton Academy. ^[6]

Club career

He began his career with the academies of Parklands Tigers and Gregory Celtics, before moving to Leicester City in 2013. ^[5] He signed a three-and-a-half-year professional contract with the club in January 2019. ^[7] Leshabela made his Premier League debut with Leicester as an 81st-minute substitute during a 5–0 victory against Sheffield United on 14 March 2021. ^{[8] [9]} Following his debut, manager Brendan Rodgers praised Leshabela, stating that "he's a young player who has worked very hard", adding that "he has got qualities and he came into the game and showed a nice confidence". ^[10]

On 19 August 2021, Leshabela joined EFL League One club Shrewsbury Town on a season-long loan. ^[11] He made his League One debut on 21 August 2021 as a 71st-minute substitute during a 0–3 defeat against Plymouth Argyle. ^[12] After struggling for game time, manager Steve Cotterill said that Leshabela's loan had been a 'punt' and his position at the club would be reassessed in the January transfer window. ^[13] On 27 January 2022, his loan spell was terminated. ^[14]

On 26 July 2022, Leshabela joined EFL League Two club Crewe Alexandra on a six-month loan deal, ^[15] and made a substitute appearance in Crewe's opening game of the 2022–23 season, a 2–1 victory over Rochdale at Spotland on 30 July 2022. ^[16] He made his first Crewe start on 9 August 2022, playing in an EFL League Cup first round defeat at Grimsby Town. ^[17]

In February 2024, Leshabela returned to his native South Africa to sign for Cape Town City. ^[18] He made his debut in the against SuperSport United. ^[19]

In August 2024, Leshabela returned to England, joining National League South side Enfield Town. ^[20]

International career

Leshabela has represented South Africa at under-20 level, having played at the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations and the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. ^[21]

Style of play

Leshabela plays primarily as a winger but can also play as an attacking midfielder. ^[22] In August 2019, Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers praised Leshabela, stating that "he's dynamic, he is physical, he has good fitness, a nice touch of the ball and he has an understanding of how to play the game tactically, which is very important." ^[23]

Career statistics

As of 31 August 2022.

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Leicester City U21	2017–18 [24]	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	1	0
	2018–19 [25]	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	2	0
	2019–20 [26]	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	6 [lower-alpha 1]	0	6	0
	2020–21 [27]	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	3	0
Leicester City	2020–21 [27]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	0	0	12	0	13	0
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2021–22 [28]	League One	3	0	2	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	9	0
Crewe Alexandra (loan)	2022–23 [29]	League Two	10	0	0	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	13	0
Total			14	0	2	0	2	0	17	0	35	0

1. Appearances in the Football League Trophy

References

1. "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". premierleague.com. Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
2. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019: List of Players: South Africa" (PDF). FIFA. 13 June 2019. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2020.
3. "Khanya Leshabela". www.lcfc.com. Leicester City F.C. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
4. Khanya Leshabela at Soccerway
5. Sobayeni, Prince (21 April 2020). "The journey: Khanya Leshabela goes from strength to strength". FARPost. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
6. N'pton Academy PE [@northacadPE] (25 March 2021). "Massive congratulations to former @northacad student Thakgalo (Khanya) Leshabela who made his Premier League debut for @LCFC in their 5–0 win over @SheffieldUnited Hopefully the start of many more!!..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. Khan, Zain (9 January 2019). "South Africans react to Leshabela's Leicester contract". Goal. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
8. Poole, Harry (14 March 2021). "Iheanacho scores hat-trick against sorry Blades". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
9. Appolis, Dylan (15 March 2021). "SA youngster Khanya Leshabela makes EPL debut for Leicester". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
10. Gillion, Baden (16 March 2021). "'He has got qualities' – Brendan Rodgers praises SA youngster after Leicester City debut". News24. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
11. "Youngster Leshabela In Shrewsbury Loan". Leicester City Football Club. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
12. "Shrewsbury Town 0–3 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
13. Cox, Lewis (22 September 2021). "Steve Cotterill: Khanya Leshabela Leicester loan was a 'punt' for Shrewsbury Town". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
14. "Khanya Leshabela returns to Leicester City". Shrewsbury Town. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
15. "Leicester Midfielder Khanya Leshabela Signs Loan Deal". www.crewealex.net. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
16. "Rochdale 1-2 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
17. "Grimsby Town 4-0 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
18. Buckerfield, Kurt (19 February 2024). "Official: CT City Sign Former Leicester City Player". SNL24. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
19. Molefe, Mazola (21 February 2024). "Cape Town City set to lose Brice Ambina to European market". SABC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
20. "Four New Recruits". etfc.london. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
21. Ditlhobolo, Austin (14 March 2021). "South African starlet Leshabela makes Premier League debut for Leicester City". Goal. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
22. Blackwell, Jordan (8 January 2019). "Who is Khanya Leshabela? Lowdown on City youngster". LeicestershireLive. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
23. Blackwell, Jordan (10 August 2019). "City starlets should be ready for first-team call-ups – Rodgers". LeicestershireLive. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
24. "Games played by Khanya Leshabela in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
25. "Games played by Khanya Leshabela in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
26. "Games played by Khanya Leshabela in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
27. "Games played by Khanya Leshabela in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
28. "Games played by Khanya Leshabela in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
29. "Games played by Khanya Leshabela in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.