Percy Tau facts for kids

Percy Muzi Tau (born 13 May 1994) is a professional footballer from South Africa. He plays as a forward for the South Africa national team.

Percy started his football journey with Mamelodi Sundowns in the Premier Soccer League. He played over 100 games for them, even with a short loan to Witbank Spurs. While at Sundowns, he helped them win the league title twice and the CAF Champions League once. He was also named Footballer of the Year in his last season there.

In 2018, Percy joined Brighton & Hove Albion in England. However, he was loaned to Belgian teams because of work permit rules. He played for Union SG, where he won the Player of the Season award. Then he moved to Club Brugge and won a league title. After that, he was loaned to Anderlecht.

In 2021, Percy signed with Egyptian Premier League team Al Ahly. He became the highest-scoring South African player in the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2023. In January 2025, he joined Qatar SC.

Percy Tau's Club Career

Starting at Mamelodi Sundowns

Percy Tau was born in Witbank, South Africa. He began his football career with Mamelodi Sundowns. He played his first professional game on 25 February 2014 against Orlando Pirates. He came on as a substitute in the last few minutes.

Percy scored his first professional goal on 22 March 2014 in a Nedbank Cup match. His goal helped Sundowns win 4–1 against Golden Arrows. He also scored his first goal in an international club game on 5 April 2015 in the CAF Champions League.

After two seasons with Sundowns, Percy was loaned to National First Division team Witbank Spurs. He played his first game for them on 6 February 2016. He scored 3 goals in 11 games during his loan.

Returning to Sundowns and Winning Big

After his loan, Percy came back to Mamelodi Sundowns. He joined their CAF Champions League team. He played in every minute of the final against Zamalek, which Sundowns won 3–1. This was Sundowns' first time winning a big African competition.

Percy scored his first league goal for Sundowns on 2 November 2016. He helped them win 2–0 against Polokwane City. He also played in the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2016. Sundowns lost to Kashima Antlers and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Percy scored one goal in the fifth-place match.

In the 2017–18 season, Percy scored 11 goals. This helped Mamelodi Sundowns win the league title. He shared the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot award for top scorer. He also won the Footballer of the Season and Players' Player of the Season awards. Because of his great performance, many European clubs wanted to sign him.

Moving to Brighton & Hove Albion

On 20 July 2018, Percy Tau signed a four-year contract with Brighton & Hove Albion. This English Premier League club paid about R50 million (UK£2.7 million) for him. This was a record amount for a South African player moving from a local club.

Brighton's manager, Chris Hughton, said Percy would be loaned out. This was because he needed a UK work permit and more experience playing in Europe.

Loan to Union SG

On 15 August 2018, Percy joined Union SG in Belgium. This team was also owned by Brighton's chairman. He quickly became an important player. He scored four goals in six games in the Belgian Cup. He helped the club reach the semi-finals, beating big teams like Anderlecht and Genk.

In April 2019, Percy won the Player of the Season award for the Belgian First Division B. He scored six goals and made seven assists, helping Union finish second in the league.

Loan to Club Brugge

On 29 July 2019, Percy moved to Club Brugge on loan for the 2019–20 season. He scored in his first game on 2 August 2019, helping his team win 6–0. On 13 August, he was sent off in a UEFA Champions League game.

Percy played in a 2–2 draw against Real Madrid on 1 October, where he assisted the first goal. The league season ended early in May due to the Covid–19 pandemic. Percy played 18 league games and scored three goals. Club Brugge won the title by a large margin.

Loan to Anderlecht

On 4 August 2020, Percy signed a one-year loan deal with Anderlecht in Belgium. He made his debut on 16 August 2020, coming on as a substitute. He scored his first goal in that game, helping Anderlecht win 3–1.

Returning to Brighton

On 7 January 2021, Brighton called Percy back from his loan at Anderlecht. This happened after new rules for non-English players made it easier for him to get a work permit. On 10 January 2021, Percy finally played his first game for Brighton. It was an FA Cup match against Newport County, which Brighton won on penalties.

Three days later, he played his first Premier League game against Manchester City. On 15 May, in only his third Premier League game, Percy passed the ball to Danny Welbeck. Welbeck scored, helping Brighton draw 1–1 with West Ham.

Playing for Al Ahly

Percy signed a permanent deal with Egyptian Premier League club Al Ahly on 26 August 2021. He played in the 2021 CAF Super Cup on 22 December. He assisted Al Ahly's goal in that game, which they won after a penalty shootout.

Percy played 126 games for Al Ahly, scoring 30 goals and making 14 assists. He had a lot of success there. He won two CAF Champions League titles and two Egyptian Premier League championships. He also won four Egyptian Super Cups. In 2023, he was named the CAF Interclub Player of the Year. He was the first South African to win this award.

Joining Qatar SC

In January 2025, after three and a half seasons with Al Ahly, Percy Tau signed with Qatar Stars League club Qatar SC. Qatar SC paid Al Ahly about $450,000 for him.

Percy Tau's International Career

Percy Tau played his first game for the South Africa national team on 17 October 2015. It was a 0–2 loss to Angola. On 25 March 2017, he scored his first international goal against Guinea-Bissau.

On 13 October 2018, Percy scored in South Africa's biggest ever win. They beat Seychelles 6–0 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. On 24 March 2019, he scored two goals against Libya. This helped South Africa qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. His four goals in the qualifiers made him one of the top scorers.

Percy was part of the South African team for the 2019 African Cup of Nations. He started in all five games. South Africa reached the quarter-finals but lost to Nigeria.

Honours and Awards

Percy Tau has won many titles and awards throughout his career:

Mamelodi Sundowns

• Premier Soccer League: 2013–14, 2017–18
• Nedbank Cup: 2014–15
• Telkom Knockout: 2015
• CAF Champions League: 2016
• CAF Super Cup: 2017

Club Brugge

• Belgian Pro League: 2019–20

Al Ahly

• Egyptian Premier League: 2022–23, 2023–24
• Egypt Cup: 2021–22, 2022–23
• Egyptian Super Cup: 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024
• CAF Champions League: 2022-23, 2023–24
• CAF Super Cup: 2021
• FIFA African–Asian–Pacific Cup: 2024
• FIFA Club World Cup third place: 2021, 2023

South Africa

• Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2023
• 2018 Four Nations Tournament

Individual Awards

• Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot: 2017–18
• PSL Footballer of the Year: 2017–18
• PSL Players' Player of the Season: 2017–18
• Belgian First Division B Player of the Season: 2018–19
• Belgian First Division B Team of the Season: 2018–19
• African Inter-Club Player of the Year: 2023

See also

In Spanish: Percy Tau para niños