Surprise Moriri
Encyclopedia
Surprise Mohlomolleng Moriri (born 20 March 1980 in Matibidi, Mpumalanga
) is a South Africa
n football midfielder
and striker for Mamelodi Sundowns
and South Africa
.
in 2005–06. He usually plays as a second striker or behind the striker as a supporting striker. He can also be deployed on the right side of midfield. He scored 12 goals in all competitions (11 in the league) to be Sundowns’ top scorer and help the 'Brazilians' to their first league title since 2000.
In the 2006–07 season he eclipsed that amount, with again 11 league goals and three in the CAF Champions League
.
The 2007–08 season saw him less prolific in the league only managing three league goals but in the process scoring two Nedbank Cup
goals, one MTN 8
goal, one Tekom Knockout goal and four CAF Champions League, giving him a total of 11 goals.
On 18 June 2007, Sundowns played a friendly against FC Barcelona
in South Africa. Moriri scored within one minute and 30 seconds to make it 1–0. After many missed chances from both teams, Barcelona eventually went on to win the game 2–1 after two late goals from substitutes Santiago Ezquerro
and Marc Crosas Luque.
against Lesotho
on 8 October 2003.
He scored his first goal for South Africa
in their 3–0 win over Chad in the MTN Africa Cup of Nations
qualifiers.
He was in the South African squad for the 2008 African Nations Cup.
He was part of the Bafana Bafana squad for the 2010 World Cup, coming off the bench against Uruguay.
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
) is a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n football midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and striker for Mamelodi Sundowns
Mamelodi Sundowns
Mamelodi Sundowns are a South African football club that plays in the Premier Soccer League.Since 2003, Sundowns are owned by rand billionaire Patrice Motsepe....
and South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
.
Club career
Moriri is a free-scoring midfielder who was chosen as South Africa’s PSL Player of the SeasonPSL Player of the Season
The PSL Player of the Season in South African football is awarded to the most outstanding player of the season....
in 2005–06. He usually plays as a second striker or behind the striker as a supporting striker. He can also be deployed on the right side of midfield. He scored 12 goals in all competitions (11 in the league) to be Sundowns’ top scorer and help the 'Brazilians' to their first league title since 2000.
In the 2006–07 season he eclipsed that amount, with again 11 league goals and three in the CAF Champions League
CAF Champions League
The CAF Champions League is an annual international club football competition run by the Confederation of African Football . The top club sides from Africa's football leagues are invited to participate in this competition, which is the premier club football competition on the continent and the...
.
The 2007–08 season saw him less prolific in the league only managing three league goals but in the process scoring two Nedbank Cup
Nedbank Cup
The Nedbank Cup is the current name of South Africa's premier club football knockout tournament. While many formats have been used over the years, the tournament has always been based on the idea of giving lower league and amateur teams a chance to compete with clubs from the top league for the cup...
goals, one MTN 8
MTN 8
The MTN 8 is the current name of South Africa's oldest football cup competition. It is made up of the top eight teams that finished in that order at the close of the ABSA Premiership season...
goal, one Tekom Knockout goal and four CAF Champions League, giving him a total of 11 goals.
On 18 June 2007, Sundowns played a friendly against FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in South Africa. Moriri scored within one minute and 30 seconds to make it 1–0. After many missed chances from both teams, Barcelona eventually went on to win the game 2–1 after two late goals from substitutes Santiago Ezquerro
Santiago Ezquerro
Santiago 'Santi' Ezquerro Marín is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a forward.Having made a name for himself at Athletic Bilbao, appearing in nearly 300 official games for the club in seven years, he subsequently earned himself a transfer to FC Barcelona, but languished on the bench for...
and Marc Crosas Luque.
International career
Moriri made his debut in a friendly matchExhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against Lesotho
Lesotho national football team
The Lesotho national football team, nicknamed the Likuena , is the national team of Lesotho and is controlled by the Lesotho Football Association...
on 8 October 2003.
He scored his first goal for South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
in their 3–0 win over Chad in the MTN Africa Cup of Nations
African Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
qualifiers.
He was in the South African squad for the 2008 African Nations Cup.
He was part of the Bafana Bafana squad for the 2010 World Cup, coming off the bench against Uruguay.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007-03-24 | Ndjamena, Chad Chad Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west... |
1–0 | 3–0 | African Nations Cup qualifier | |
| 2 | 2008-03-26 | Atteridgeville Atteridgeville Atteridgeville, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township located on the west of Pretoria, South Africa. It is bordered to the west by Saulsville, to the east by Proclamation Hill; to the south by Laudium and to the north by Lotus Gardens.-History:Atteridgeville was... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 3 | 2008-06-07 | Atteridgeville Atteridgeville Atteridgeville, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township located on the west of Pretoria, South Africa. It is bordered to the west by Saulsville, to the east by Proclamation Hill; to the south by Laudium and to the north by Lotus Gardens.-History:Atteridgeville was... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
2–1 | 4–1 | WCQ 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) The Confederation of African Football section of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification saw teams compete for five berths in the final tournament in South Africa... |
|
| 4 | 2010-04-28 | Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 5 | 2010-05-31 | Polokwane Polokwane Polokwane, meaning "Place of Safety",is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also often referred to by its former name, Pietersburg. Polokwane is a major urban centre, the biggest and most important north of Gauteng. The population... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
3–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |