Linda Motlhalo

Linda Maserame Motlhalo (born 1 July 1998) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Glasgow City and the South Africa women's national team. She is also known as the 'Randfontein Ronaldinho'.

Early life Linda Motlhalo was born in Badirile, Brandvlei, in Randfontein, Gauteng, on 1 July 1998. Her family has a footballing history, with her father Johannes Motlhalo attempting to become a professional player. Although he failed to do so, his brother Joseph Motlhalo became a goalkeeper for Kaizer Chiefs F.C. between 1970 and 1985.

Motlhalo attended TuksSport High School, during which time she was part of the South African High Performance Centre in Pretoria.

Club career Houston Dash On 1 February 2018 Motlhalo signed with the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. She was brought in by Dash head coach Vera Pauw who coached the South African national team from 2014 to 2016. Motlhalo made 21 NWSL appearances for the Dash and scored 1 goal.

Motlhalo was waived by the Houston Dash on 6 February 2019.

Motlhalo started all 14 league games for Beijing across the 2019 season as the team finished fifth in the CWSL, playing the majority of the campaign in a deeper central midfield role. She also helped guide Beijing to a semifinal finish in the Chinese Women's Championship.

Djurgårdens IF

On 18 January 2020 it was announced that Motlhalo had joined Swedish side Djurgårdens IF on a two-year deal, subject to receipt of her working visa.

Motlhalo made her debut on 22 February 2020, scoring twice after coming on as a substitute in a Stockholm derby victory over AIK. In January 2021 she was named Newcomer of the Year by her Djurgården teammates for her performances across the 2020 season.

In January 2022, it was announced that Motlhalo had signed a new two-year contract to remain at the club.

Glasgow City On 23 January 2023, Motlhalo officially joined SWPL 1 club Glasgow City on a permanent deal, signing a contract until June 2025 with the Scottish club.

On 21 May 2023, Motlhalo provided a 92nd minute assist as Glasgow City beat Rangers 1–0 at Ibrox Stadium to win the SWPL title on the final day of the season. She was also named player of the match.

Racing Louisville On 18 January 2024, Mothlalo signed a two-year contract with Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League. Racing Louisville paid an undisclosed transfer fee to Glasgow City and signed Mothlalo through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2026. Motlhalo made three total appearances for the club across all competitions in 2024. The two parties agreed to mutually terminate her contract in February 2025.

Glasgow City She returned to Glasgow City in February 2025. She helped the team to the 2025–2026 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup in March 2026.

International career While attending the High Performance Centre, Motlhalo played for the South Africa women's national under-20 football team as a forward. This included in matches as part of the 2015 African U-20 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

Motlhalo was called up to the senior squad for the first time in October 2015, following an injury to Thembi Kgatlana which caused her to be withdrawn from the team. Motlhalo was subsequently South Africa's top-scorer in qualification for the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations, scoring five goals across four fixtures with Mozambique and Algeria to help Banyana Banyana book a place at the finals.

In South Africa’s opening match of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, she became the thirteenth player in the national team’s history to reach 100 international appearances when the team lost 2–1 against Tanzania.

International goals Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 29 March 2016 Limbe Stadium, Limbe, Cameroon Friendly 25 November 2016 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations 17 September 2018 Wolfson Stadium, KwaZakele, South Africa 2018 COSAFA Women's Championship 20 September 2018 21 November 2018 Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Ghana 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations 7 April 2019 Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa International Friendly 21 September 2021 Onikan Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria Aisha Buhari Cup 20 October 2021 Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Angola 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualification 26 October 2021 Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa 23 February 2022 Stade Omar Hamadi, Algiers, Algeria 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualification 7 July 2022 Stade Moulay Hassan, Rabat, Morocco 3–1 3–1 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations 18 July 2022 Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca, Morocco 1–0 1–0 28 July 2023 Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand 1–0 2–2 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup 4 December 2023 Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa 1–0 2–0 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification 2 December 2024 Montego Bay Sports Complex, Montego Bay, Jamaica 1–0 2–3 Friendly 5 April 2025 UJ Soweto Stadium, Soweto, South Africa 2–0 3–0 7 July 2025 Honneur Stadium, Oujda, Morocco 1–0 2–0 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations 22 July 2025 Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco 1–1 1–2 9 June 2026 Natural Grass Main Field S1, Osako, Japan 1–0 1–0 Friendly

Honours Glasgow City

Scottish Women's Premier League: 2022–23 Scottish Women's Premier League Cup: 2025–2026

International Africa Women Cup of Nations: 2022; runner-up: 2018 Aisha Buhari Cup: 2021 Individual COSAFA Women's Championship top-scorer: 2018 Djurgårdens IF Newcomer of the Year: 2020 CAF Team of the Year Women's XI: 2023, 2024