Past five COSAFA Under-20 Championship Golden Boot winners
The COSAFA Under-20 Championship will form part of the Region 5 Games in Windhoek, Namibia from July 4-13, another chance for the region’s top players in the age-group to showcase their potential.
As anticipation builds for the tournament, we look back at the last five Golden Boot winners at the regional event and where they are now.
2018
Lyle Foster (South Africa), Delic Murimba (Zimbabwe) – 5 goals
Foster currently plies his trade with newly-promoted English Premier League side Burnley, having already had one topflight season with them under his belt in 2023/24.
He also previously played for Belgian side Westerlo, having arrived there from Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal and also played for French Ligue 1 Monaco.
The 24-year-old also spent a season on loan at Belgium club Cercle Brugge.
Murimba is still in Zimbabwe having played at Triangle United and was last with Ngezi Platinum, though he did have trials with top South African side Mamelodi Sundowns in 2019. He had also attracted interest from China.
2019
Ambrosini Salvador (Angola) – 6 goals
Viewed as the next wonderkid from the region, striker Salvador, who also goes by the name ‘Zini’, signed for Greek giants AEK Athens on a season-long loan for 2022/23 and later made that move permanent.
He made the switch after starring for Primeiro de Agosto, who had placed a US$5-million release clause in the contract of the then 18-year-old. He spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Greek side APO Levadiakos, but is due back at AEK for the new campaign.
He scored an impressive 14 goals in 26 league starts while on loan.
Still only 22, he is a full Angola international and viewed as one of the top talents to emerge from Southern Africa in a number of years.
2020
Sinenjongo Mkiva (South Africa), Ambrosini Salvador (Angola) – 3 goals
Salvador was the joint top-scorer again in 2020 and managed three goals alongside South Africa’s Sinenjongo Mkiva.
The latter was in the academy of South African club SuperSport United but did not make a first team appearance and later went to third-tier Antalyaspor JPM Cape Town.
He came through the academy at BidVest Wits before the club folded, playing with the likes of current PSL star Rowan Human.
2022
Danilson Makokisa (Angola)
Makokisa finished with five goals at the 2022 COSAFA Under-20 Championships to take home the Golden Boot prize.
He was also the leading scorer in all of qualifying for the 2023 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations but has not progressed much further with his career to date.
To be fair he was only 16 having been with AFA at the time of his heroics at the 2022 regional finals, and is still a teenager now.
2024
Jody Ah Shene (South Africa)
Ah Shene scored four goals as South Africa took the title and he would go on to play a major role in them becoming African champions too in Egypt.
He currently plies his trade for Cape Town City in South Africa, and made his debut in March 2024, before the finals in Mozambique. He netted his first goal a month later.
He has continued to feature for the team in the 2024/25 campaign and has a bright future in the game.
