South Africa’s rising star Shandre Campbell delivered another reminder of his fast-growing pedigree after scoring a superb brace in Club NXT’s 3-1 win over Beerschot in the Challenger Pro League on Saturday.
The 20-year-old opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark, showing the sharp movement and clinical finishing that made him one of SuperSport United’s most coveted academy exports. Beerschot hit back through Japanese veteran Genki Haraguchi midway through the second half, but Campbell was far from done.
With the game delicately poised, the Mzansi winger struck again in the 86th minute, restoring NXT’s advantage before Tobias Lund Jensen sealed the contest in stoppage time.
Despite the morale-boosting win, Club Brugge’s reserve side remain rooted to the foot of Belgium’s second tier with only seven points from 15 matches. Campbell, however, continues to shine individually—now up to four goals and one assist across both senior and reserve competitions.
The Tshwane-born talent has already tasted top-level European football, featuring in Brugge’s UEFA Champions League clash against Atalanta earlier this season, and will next test himself when the Belgian giants host Premier League heavyweights Arsenal on Wednesday.
Campbell’s impressive run of form arrives at the perfect moment. The youngster has earned his first-ever Bafana Bafana call-up, with Hugo Broos including him in South Africa’s final squad for AFCON 2025 in Morocco.
For a player still at the dawn of his professional journey, the trajectory is unmistakable—Campbell isn’t just knocking on the door of greatness; he’s already stepping through it.