.jpg) Tau withClub Brugge in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Percy Muzi Tau[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-05-13)13 May 1994 (age 31)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Witbank, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Thep Xanh Nam Dinh | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Mamelodi Sundowns | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2018 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 65 | (18) |
| 2015–2016 | →Witbank Spurs (loan) | 11 | (3) |
| 2018–2021 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | →Union SG (loan) | 23 | (6) |
| 2019–2020 | →Club Brugge (loan) | 18 | (3) |
| 2020–2021 | →Anderlecht (loan) | 14 | (4) |
| 2021–2025 | Al Ahly | 57 | (15) |
| 2025 | Qatar SC | 9 | (0) |
| 2025– | Thep Xanh Nam Dinh | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015– | South Africa | 52 | (16) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 25 March 2025 | |||
Percy Muzi Tau (born 13 May 1994) is a South African professionalfootballer who plays as awinger forV.League 1 clubThep Xanh Nam Dinh and theSouth Africa national team.
Tau began his footballing career withPremier Soccer League sideMamelodi Sundowns where he made 100 appearances either side of a loan toWitbank Spurs. During his time with Sundowns, he won the league title twice and theCAF Champions League once and was namedFootballer of the Year and joint-top-goalscorer in his final season with the club.
Tau joinedBrighton & Hove Albion in 2018 but, due to work-permit complications, wasloaned out to Belgian sideUnion SG with whom he won theProximus League Player of the Season award. His form earned him a short-term move toClub Brugge, where he won a league winners' medal the following season, before being loaned out for a third consecutive season when he signed for rivals Anderlecht in 2020.
Tau signed forEgyptian Premier League sideAl Ahly in 2021 on a two-year contract. He became the highest scoring South African in theFIFA Club World Cup in December 2023 when he scored his third goal of the competition.
Born inWitbank,[2] Tau began his career withMamelodi Sundowns in thePremier Soccer League. He made his professional debut for the club on 25 February 2014 in the league againstOrlando Pirates. He came on as an 85th-minute substitute forDomingues as Sundowns lost 1–0.[3] Tau then scored his first professional goal for the club during aNedbank Cup match on 22 March 2014 againstGolden Arrows. His 90th-minute goal was the fourth and final goal for Sundowns as they won 4–1 against the Arrows.[4] He then scored his first goal in international club competition on 5 April 2015 in aCAF Champions League match againstTP Mazembe. He scored the Sundown's one and only goal of the match in the 84th minute as Mamelodi Sundowns fell 3–1.[5] After two seasons and rarely appearing for Mamelodi Sundowns, Tau was released in the 2014–15 season.[citation needed]
On the advice of then-youth coach Rhulani Mokwena, he wasloaned toNational First Division sideWitbank Spurs instead.[6] He made his debut for the club on 6 February 2016 in a 3–1 win overAfrican Warriors and went on to score 3 goals in 11 appearances during his loan spell.[7]
After a season with Witbank Spurs, Tau rejoined Mamelodi Sundowns and was included in the squad for the club'sCAF Champions League campaign. He featured throughout and played every minute of both legs of a 3–1 aggregate win over Egyptian sideZamalek in theCAF Champions League Final. The victory was Sundowns' first ever triumph in a continental competition.[8] He then scored his first goal in the league for the club on 2 November 2016 againstPolokwane City. He scored the first of two goals for the side as they went on to win 2–0.[9] Tau then made his debut for the side in theFIFA Club World Cup on 11 December 2016 againstKashima Antlers. Sundowns were knocked-out of the competition after losing to the Japanese side 2–0.[10] During the fifth-place match, Tau scored the only goal for Sundowns as they fell 4–1 toJeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea.[11]
During the 2017–18 season, Tau scored 11 goals to help Mamelodi Sundowns to the league title. His form throughout the season saw him share theLesley Manyathela Golden Boot withRodney Ramagalela and earned him the Footballer of the Season and Players' Player of the Season awards.[12] As a result of his achievements, Tau was courted by a number of European clubs during the off-season. Amidst the speculation surrounding his future, he refused to join Sundowns in the pre-season preparations in an attempt to force through a move.[13][14]
On 20 July 2018, Tau signed a four-year contract with EnglishPremier League clubBrighton & Hove Albion,[15] for an undisclosed transfer fee,[13] reported to be in the region ofR50 million (UK£2.7 million), a South African record sale of a domestic player.[13] Brighton manager,Chris Hughton, confirmed that Tau would be loaned out shortly after his transfer, after failing aUK work permit, as well as him wanting the South African international to gain European football experience.[16]On 7 January 2021, he returned toBrighton & Hove Albion, after being recalled from his loan spell atAnderlecht.[17][18]
On 15 August, Tau joinedBelgian second division sideUnion SG, owned by Brighton chairmanTony Bloom, on a season-long loan.[19][20] He was immediately introduced into the first team and played a particularly important role in theBelgian Cup during the first half of the season, scoring four goals in six appearances to help the club reach the semi-finals after recording historic wins over bothAnderlecht andGenk.[21][22]
In April 2019, after scoring six goals and recording seven assist to help Union finish the season in second place, Tau was one of three players nominated for the Player of the Season award, alongside teammateFaïz Selemani.[23] He ultimately won the award and was named in the league's team of the season.[24][25]
On 29 July 2019, Tau signed for Belgian sideClub Brugge on loan for the 2019–20 season.[26] He made his debut for the club on 2 August 2019 againstSint-Truiden where he scored in the club's 6–0 home victory.[27] On 13 August, he was sent off with for a second bookable offence during a 3–3 away draw againstDynamo Kiev in what was only his second careerChampions League game. Brugge went through 4–3 on aggregate.[28] Tau appeared in the 2–2 away draw atReal Madrid on 1 October, where he assisted the first goal.[29]
The league was ended in May with one remaining match to be played due toCOVID-19. Tau played 18 league matches scoring three as Club Bruges won the title, finishing 15 points clear of 2nd place.[30]
On 4 August 2020, Tau signed for Belgian clubAnderlecht, on a one-year loan.[31] He made his debut for the club on 16 August 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 64th minute againstSint-Truiden, and scored his first goal as Anderlecht won the match 3–1.[32]
On 7 January 2021, Tau was recalled by parent club Brighton, after just four months atAnderlecht, following the club receiving a Governing Body Endorsement, the new points-based system for non-English players which came into force when the transition period following the UK's exit from the European Union ended, fromthe FA for Tau.[17][18] On 10 January 2021, 905 days after signing forThe Seagulls Tau made his debut coming on as a substitute in anFA Cup third round tie away atNewport County in which Brighton eventually won on penalties.[33] Three days later he made his league debut for Brighton starting in the 1–0Premier League loss atManchester City.[34] On 15 May, while only making his third Premier League appearance Tau sent in a through ball toDanny Welbeck who chipped the ball over keeperŁukasz Fabiański puttingThe Seagulls ahead in an eventual 1–1 home draw againstWest Ham.[35]
Tau signed a permanent deal forEgyptian Premier LeagueAl Ahly on 26 August 2021.[36] Tau played in the2021 CAF Super Cup on 22 December, in which he assisted Al Ahly's goal in the eventual penalty shootout victory.[37]
Tau would go on to make 126 appearances for Ahly in all competitions, scoring 30 goals and providing 14 assists.[38] He enjoyed considerable success during his time at Ahly, winning twoCAF Champions League titles, twoEgyptian Premier League championships, fourEgyptian Super Cups, and was named the CAF Interclub Player of the Year in 2023, becoming the first South African to win the award.[38][39][40]
In January 2025, following three and a half seasons with Al Ahly in Egypt, Tau signed forQatar Stars League clubQatar SC.[38][41][42] Qatar SC paid Al Ahly a reported transfer fee of $450,000 for Tau.[38]
On 16 August 2025, Vietnamese clubThep Xanh Nam Dinh announced the arrival of Tau at the club.[43]
Tau made his debut forSouth Africa on 17 October 2015 in a 0–2 loss toAngola in a2016 African Nations Championship qualification match.[44] On 25 March 2017, he scored his first international goal in the 69th minute againstGuinea-Bissau after receiving a yellow card two minutes earlier.
On 13 October 2018, Tau was one of South Africa's goal scorers as the nation recorded its largest ever victory with a 6–0 win overSeychelles in anAfrica Cup of Nations qualifier.[45] On 24 March 2019, he scored twice in a 2–1 win overLibya to secure South Africa's qualification for the2019 Africa Cup of Nations.[46] His brace took him to four goals for the qualifying campaign, ranking him among the highest goalscorers in qualification.[47]
Tau was named in the South African squad for the 2019 edition of theAfrican Cup of Nations.[48] He started in all five games for his country where they made the quarter-final stage, losing toNigeria to deny them a semi-final spot.[49]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 2013–14 | South African Premier Division | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | 29 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7[c] | 2 | 4[d] | 0 | 43 | 9 | ||
| 2017–18 | 30 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13[c] | 0 | 3[e] | 1 | 50 | 14 | ||
| Total | 65 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 103 | 25 | ||
| Witbank Spurs (loan) | 2015–16 | National First Division | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 3 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Union SG (loan) | 2018–19 | Belgian First Division B | 23 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 6[f] | 3 | 35 | 13 | ||
| Club Brugge (loan) | 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 18 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 8[g] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 4 | |
| Anderlecht (loan) | 2020–21 | Belgian Pro League | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 4 | |||
| Al Ahly | 2021–22 | Egyptian Premier League | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 10[c] | 3 | 2[h] | 0 | 34 | 8 | |
| 2022–23 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 12[c] | 5 | 5[i] | 1 | 42 | 10 | |||
| 2023–24 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 12[c] | 1 | 10[j] | 1 | 33 | 9 | |||
| 2024–25 | 6 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 6[c] | 3 | 4[k] | 0 | 16 | 3 | |||
| Total | 59 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 12 | 21 | 2 | 125 | 30 | ||
| Qatar SC | 2024–25 | Qatar Stars League | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Thep Xanh Nam Dinh | 2025–26 | V.League 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[l] | 0 | 1[m] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Career total | 201 | 49 | 27 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 70 | 15 | 36 | 6 | 337 | 79 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2018 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 16 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 March 2017 | Moses Mabhida Stadium,Durban, South Africa |  Guinea-Bissau | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 10 June 2017 | Godswill Akpabio International Stadium,Uyo, Nigeria |  Nigeria | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 7 October 2017 | FNB Stadium,Johannesburg, South Africa |  Burkina Faso | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 14 November 2017 | Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor,Dakar, Senegal |  Senegal | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 24 March 2018 | Levy Mwanawasa Stadium,Ndola, Zambia |  Zambia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 Four Nations Tournament |
| 6 | 14 October 2018 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Seychelles | 4–0 | 6–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7 | 20 November 2018 | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa |  Paraguay | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 8 | 24 March 2019 | Stade Taïeb Mhiri,Sfax, Tunisia |  Libya | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 9 | 2–1 | |||||
| 10 | 13 November 2020 | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 11 | 16 November 2020 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium,Port Elizabeth, South Africa | São Tomé and Príncipe | 2–1 | 4–2 | |
| 12 | 4–2 | |||||
| 13 | 25 March 2021 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Ghana | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| 14 | 17 March 2023 | FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Morocco | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 15 | 18 November 2023 | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa |  Benin | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 21 January 2024 | Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium,Korhogo, Ivory Coast |  Namibia | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
Mamelodi Sundowns
Club Brugge
Al Ahly
South Africa
Individual
South Africa squads | |||||||||||||
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Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| International | |
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| National | |
