Josta Dladla (born 13 July 1979) is a South African football (soccer) midfielder. He was capped six times for South Africa. He is the host of "Izinja zeGame", a YouTube soccer podcast.
Early life Dladla was born in Soweto in 1979 and lived with his grandmother. His first pair of boots were the Puma Jomo Sono King, given to him by a family friend in 1986. He attended Tsugang Primary School in Soweto. His father worked in England and he boarded a flight for the first time when he was in Grade 8, in 1995, when he went to visit him during the December holidays.
Club career Dladla joined Wits in 1999 while in high school and wore number 21, earning R1000,00 a month. Dladla made his professional debut against AmaZulu in a 1–1 draw on 19 December 1999. Dladla received attention for his playmaking prowess, and was eventually sold to AGF Aarhus at the end of the 2001-2002 campaign. He made his debut two weeks later, scoring in a 4–3 win over Viborg, helping them to their first win in a month. Fellow countryman Sibusiso Zuma also scored for his club against Esjberg. Dladla, by Danish newspapers was said to have outshined Zuma, Dladla also went on to say "What's all this fuss about Sibusiso Zuma? I'm better than him!". He played his last match for Aarhus against the same team he debuted against Viborg FF on 29 May 2004 losing 2–0. He joined Mamelodi Sundowns in 2004, where he scored 15 goals in 122 appearances and won the SAA Supa8, Nedbank Cup and two league titles. He played his debut on 7 February 2009 in a 2–1 loss over Moroka Swallows. He scored his first goal on 29 November 2011 in a 3–0 win over Bidvest Wits from a solo run from the centre into the box in the 90th minute.
Statistics Club Club performance Season Club League apps League goals1999–00Wits University1512000–01Wits University3472001–02Wits University3192001–02AGF Aarhus512002–03AGF Aarhus2652003–04AGF Aarhus3132004–05Mamelodi Sundowns1802005–06Mamelodi Sundowns2352006–07Mamelodi Sundowns2322007–08Mamelodi Sundowns2652008–09Mamelodi Sundowns912008–09Kaizer Chiefs902009–10Kaizer Chiefs2742010–11Kaizer Chiefs2302011–12Kaizer Chiefs1942012–13Kaizer Chiefs1712013–14Kaizer Chiefs702014–15Kaizer Chiefs00 Career total34348
International career Dladla was the 138th player to be capped for South Africa after isolation. He earned six caps, all as a substitute.
Personal life Dladla has a tattoo from his wrist to his shoulder on the right arm. He has body art called a sleeve and has the names of his wife, Thato and his son, Xavier who was born in 2006.
Style of play Danish soccer writer, Hans Christian Blem stated that Dladla is Very quick and has excellent technique. Stuart Baxter said the following in a Citypress interview comparing Dladla to Ryan Giggs. "We wouldn't extend his contract if we didn't think he would become the Ryan Giggs of Chiefs, Josta can play wide, central, off the strikers and Josta shows that he has Giggs' resilience. He can be a substitute, start the match and still be a team player.
References
External links
Official Danish Superliga player statistics at danskfodbold.com