S. Kabini

Fifteen million rand is what took Samukelo Kabini out of South Africa. When Molde signed the left-back in March 2025 on a deal running to 2028, the fee — around €760,000 — became a record sale for TS Galaxy.

Galaxy poached him from the Orlando Pirates youth academy, where he had been a fixture in the DStv Diski Challenge. He made his professional debut at Galaxy, and by the time the Norwegian offer arrived he had spent barely two seasons in senior football.

The international call-up followed almost immediately. Kabini won his first senior cap for Bafana Bafana in a friendly against Mozambique in June 2025. His second came in November, when he started a 3-1 friendly win over Zambia. He was named in the final 25-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco; South Africa went out in the round of 16 to Cameroon. He has also been included in the squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The rise has been quick enough that the honours list has not caught up with it: as of early 2026 Kabini has won no major team trophy and no individual award. What he has is the record fee behind him and a place in a national-team setup he entered within months of leaving South Africa.