Introduction
May Mahlangu (born 1 May 1989) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Kazakhstan Premier League club Ordabasy.
Club career
Early career
Mahlangu joined the Stars of Africa Academy at age 15 and played for their team Alexandra United FC.
Helsingborgs IF
Bo Nilsson was the manager of Allsvenskan club Helsingborgs IF in 2008 and through his connections with the academy he brought over Mahlangu to Sweden. Nilsson set it up so that Mahlangu would train with both Helsingborg and fourth tier club IFK Hässleholm each day, and that he would initially play league games for Hässleholm. After impressing in the Swedish lower leagues Helsingborg decided to permanently make him a part of their squad in the summer of 2009. In 2011 the club won the Swedish league and Mahlangu was given the player of the year award.
IFK Göteborg
On 4 March 2014 Mahlangu joined Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg on a one-year contract.
Konyaspor
May Mahlangu signed with Konyaspor in January 2015 as a free transfer. On 28 February 2015, Mahlangu scored his first league goal against Fenerbahçe.
International career
In January 2012 Mahlangu made his debut for the South Africa national football team in a friendly against Equatorial Guinea. He was also included in South Africa's squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
In November 2014, Mahlangu was banned from selection for the Bafana Bafana after failing to turn up for their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sudan and Nigeria, citing fatigue.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 13 February 2019
| Club | Season | Division | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| IFK Hässleholm | 2008 | Division 2 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| 2009 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 5 | |||
| Total | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 | ||
| Helsingborgs IF | 2009 | Allsvenskan | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2010 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 22 | 3 | |||
| 2011 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 5 | ||
| 2012 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 43 | 0 | ||
| 2013 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| Total | 98 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 131 | 8 | ||
| IFK Göteborg | 2014 | Allsvenskan | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 30 | 7 |
| Konyaspor | 2014–15 | Süper Lig | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |
| Sint-Truidense VV | 2015–16 | Pro League | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 2 | |
| Dinamo București | 2016–17 | Liga I | 22 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 27 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| Total | 62 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 71 | 4 | ||
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2018–19 | First League | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad II | 2018–19 | Second League | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Ordabasy (loan) | 2019 | Premier League | 29 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 3 |
| Ordabasy | 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 264 | 28 | 29 | 2 | 31 | 2 | 324 | 33 | ||
International
- As of 7 July 2019
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 2012 | 6 | 1 |
| 2013 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 2 | |
International goals
- Scores and results lists South Africa's goal tally first.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22 December 2012 | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa |  Malawi |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 27 January 2013 | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa |  Morocco |
1–1 | 2–2 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations |
Honours
Helsingborgs IF
- Allsvenskan: 2011
- Svenska Cupen: 2010, 2011
- Svenska Supercupen: 2011, 2012
Dinamo Bucharest
- Cupa Ligii: 2016–17
Individual
- Allsvenskan Player of the Year: 2011