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been installed as favourites for the 2011 KickOff Footballer of the season award.
The winner of the annual award is picked through a poll by readers of top selling South African soccer magazine, KickOff.
In its May 9 issue, KickOff asked its readers to cast their votes on who they believe has been the best player in the Absa Premiership for the 2010-11 season with the call coming just as the league programme winds to a close.
The 2010-11 season has seen one of the liveliest championships in South African football with tight battles for both the title and against relegation while the staging of the Fifa World Cup in the country last year helped revive spectator interest in the game.
Although they have asked their readers to start casting their votes KickOff gave guidelines to the fans and rated Musona and Serero as the most consistent performers for their respective clubs.
Musona is also in the running for the Golden Boot Award having struck 14 goals with one round of league matches to go.
But the former Aces Youth Academy forward faces a stiff challenge from the Mamelodi Sundowns pair of Katlego Mphela with 13 goals and his fellow Zimbabwean Nyasha Mushekwi (11) as well as AmaZulu’s Lehlohonolo Majoro who has also struck eleven times.
Interestingly Musona will come face-to-face against Majoro when Chiefs square off against AmaZulu in their final league match in Durban.
But the KickOff poll is based on more than just the goals scorers as it also covers such areas as like a player’s influence on team results and entertainment value, something that soccer fans all over the world also put a lot of emphasis on.
In their rating, the magazine put Serero, who has been a revelation at Premiership leaders Ajax, just ahead of Musona, Orlando Pirates’ Andile Jani, Chiefs’ skipper and right back Jimmy Tau and Bafana Bafana striker Mphela.
The magazine also nominated the Zimbabwean pair of Khama Billiat of Ajax and Mushekwi among its seven-man list of the “Red-hot Rookies” that also includes Bhongolwethu Jaiya, Asive Langwe, Danny Venter, Vuyise Wana and Majoro.
But it is the Footballer of the Season award, which is the magazine’s ultimate prize and Musona would be happy to emulate countryman Tinashe Nengomasha who won the award in a memorable season in 2004 for the Warriors and Amakhosi midfield general.
Nengomasha scooped a hat-trick of awards in that season after also claiming the Players’ Player of the Year and the Player of the Year award, which is voted for by the journalists.
In its citation justifying why they rate Musona so highly KickOff noted that the striker had been a marvel to watch, whether one supported Chiefs, or not and gave him an average rating of 6.58 out of 10 with Serero, however, leading the ratings with 6.83.
“Musona’s efforts proved crucial in 2010, often handing Chiefs the advantage and turning a single point into three.
“When the goals dried up at the turn of the of the year, the Zimbabwe ace acted as foil for Kaizer Motaung Jnr, who netted more regularly.
“Musona’s star appeal quickly returned in April with goals in victories over SuperSport United and Mpumalanga Black Aces.
“Whether you support Amakhosi or not the forward has been a marvel to watch. He has proved he can score all sorts of stunners with an overhead kick against Amaziyoni leaving the crowd amazed.
“Opposition fans are quick to write Chiefs off when Musona is missing from the squad, which underlines the importance of his impact,” wrote Kick Off.
For that they gave Musona 6.58 out of 10.
The Magazine also spoke highly of Serero:
“Ajax have Serero’s individual brilliance and his ability to bring his teammates into the game to thank for several of their victories this season.
“He has scored crucial goals, which are often slick match-winning efforts and has carved out several chances for his fellow Urban Warriors.
“The 21-year-old has captured the imagination of Diski lovers with his speed, skill, eye for goal and the attacking spark he gives Fope De Haan’s charges.
“These qualities have endeared Serero to supporters all over the country while European clubs keep tabs on his exploits,” Kick Off said when giving Serero a 6.83 average rating.
Jali, ranked third, has also played well for title-chasers Pirates.
“Jali exudes confidence on the ball and when he is playing Bucs are more potent given his range of abilities.
“Strong defensively and while running from box to box, Jali also weighs in with a critical attacking edge.
“His defence-splitting passes are appreciated by the Ghost who also understand his need to be efficient”.
Although Tau has been installed among the favourites for the award, on the back of his strong showings in the Chiefs rearguard, the veteran defender used the same magazine to tip Musona for the Premiership’s best player award.
Tau said he was convinced that despite struggling for form in the last few weeks, Musona has already done enough to win the top PSL award.
“A couple of players come to mind and I can say Knowledge has done well and it’s not necessarily that I’m keeping it in-house.
“Thulani Serero has done pretty well, I think he is a hot prospect for the future . . . I will also go for Letsholonyane (Reneilwe) because I think he has had a great season too for both club and country,” said Tau.
Despite appearing down but not out at some stage, Musona has not discussed much about the awards but the “Smiling Assassin” admitted that his rough patch was a “learning curve”.
“When you are used to scoring you get worried when things are not happening for you and that is how I felt.
“I tried everything to avoid putting myself under pressure during that time and I kept working hard.
“I was glad when things started to get better for me . . . it taught me that you can’t always be on top of your game.
My coach has been very supportive telling me I’m still young with lots of time to become the best.
“He also said scoring 10 goals a season at age 20 is an achievement.
“Also I spoke to my former coach (Marc Duvillard) from the Aces Academy in Zimbabwe and he kept motivating me.
“Even if I am still young I still have to work very hard and I just want to improve every day so it worried me when I was not doing well.
“I know this is part of football I am now feeling better after scoring recently,” Musona said.
But whether he wins the KickOff award, the Zimbabwean international has certainly made an impact in the Absa Premiership and that he has been a regular feature on the magazine’s covers underlines his significance. The magazine, in its cover story in January, also asked whether Chiefs were not a one-man team referring to the number of occasions that the striker had helped his side grind out results even when they seemed down and almost out.