MBABANE – Royal Leopard carry the heaviest price tag in Eswatini football, yet results on the field have not mirrored their market value.
According to Transfermarkt, the police ensemble boast the most valuable squad in the MTN Premier League, valued at E5.4m, forming a sizeable share of the league’s combined squad value of E18.1 million.
Despite that financial muscle, Leopard are struggling in the standings, sitting 12th with 15 points from 13 matches.
The dip in form contrasts sharply with last season, when Leopard finished runners-up to Nsingizini Hotspurs and lifted the Ingwenyama Cup. Expectations were high, but inconsistency has crept in, with defeats and draws already derailing momentum.
This is happening within a squad stacked with elite-value names such as Simanga Masangane, Gift Gamedze, Mzwandile Mabelesa, Andy Junior Magagula, Felix Badenhorst and Mlamuli Makhanya, whose combined valuations elevate Leopard above every other club in the country.
Defending champions Nsingizini Hotspurs, valued at E4.9 million, sit second on the valuation list and continue to show that cohesion often outweighs cost. Kwakhe Thwala, Neliswa Senzo Dlamini, Khanyakwezwe Shabalala, Sambulo Simelane and Thubelihle Mavuso remain the heartbeat of their success.
Young Buffaloes, with a squad value of E3.4 million, remain firmly in the conversation through influential figures such as Bongwa Matsebula, Innocent Dlamini and Fanelo Mamba. Manzini Sea Birds follow on E2 million, driven by the experience of Philani Mkhonto and Mayibongwe Mabuza.
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Royal Leopard hold the league’s highest squad value.