Congolese winger Glody Makabi Lilepo was among the three new players unveiled by Kaizer Chiefs on Monday.
Chiefs finally ended speculation when they made public their January acquisitions with Lilepo joining South African stars Tashreeq Morris and Thabo Celo at Naturena.
However, while the other two are known due to their time in the PSL, little is known about the Congolese forward.
Who is Glody Makabi Lilepo?
Glody Makabi Lilepo, better known as Makabi Lilepo, is a right winger born in Kinshasa, DR Congo on July 27, 1997.
Chiefs have signed the winger from French second division side Valenciennes FC but he has vast experience in Africa, having turned out for clubs in his native DR Congo, Sudan and eSwatini.
Playing career
Glody Makabi Lilepo came through the youth ranks at AS Vita in DR Congo but never made the grade initially and in late 2018, he was invited for trials by Egyptian giants Zamalek.
However, after a two-month wait for his papers to be processed, he joined Mbabane Swallows in eSwatini on loan in 2019, but midway through the 2019-20 season, he went back home to join FC Renaissance du Congo.
It was at Renaissance where he showed his talents, scoring four goals in his first seven matches, and at the end of the season, he made a sensational return to AS Vita.
He played for two years at the club, scoring six goals in 16 matches in the league and CAF inter-club matches, after which he joined Sudanese giants Al-Hilal in 2022.
South African fans will remember him from his stint at Al-Hilal when his then team faced Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League group stages in the 2022-23 season.
Lilepo proved his worth at Al-Hilal, scoring 10 goals in 20 games, which earned him the move to France in 2023. He has been at Valenciennes for one-and-a-half seasons and scored seven goals, provided five assists in 46 matches across all competitions.
Playing style
The 27-year-old is described as an exciting right winger who excels at taking on players and is also blessed with great pace and good finishing ability.
Key stats
The winger has played 64 matches for his last three clubs (AS Vita, Al-Hilal and Valenciennes) and scored 15 goals and he has five assists. He also has 11 caps for the DR Congo national team.
Makabi Lilepo contract details
The Congolese forward has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Chiefs with an option to extend for another one.
What has been said about Lilepo?
“We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of a player with his experience and wish him all the best. We’ll do our utmost to help him settle in quickly and look forward to seeing him in action soon,” said Chiefs’ Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr.
