Pirates coach Ouaddou hails young star Rele Mofokeng amid Buccaneers’ title push

Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has given his full backing to young star Relebohile Mofokeng, insisting the midfielder possesses everything required to guide the team towards lifting the league title.

The Buccaneers have sent out a strong early message in their intensifying rivalry with Mamelodi Sundowns, signalling that they are no longer merely pursuers but genuine contenders against the eighteen-time champions.

As they approach the Christmas break holding a two-point advantage at the top of the standings, the Buccaneers have shown greater strength and consistency than in previous campaigns, delivering a sequence of standout performances that reinforce their ambitions.

Ouaddou and his team have already secured two trophies this season, and their Carling Knockout success over the weekend further underlined their status as the standout side in the opening half of the campaign.

However, despite their early silverware, it is clear that Pirates cannot yet be considered a true powerhouse, as winning the league remains the ultimate measure of domestic dominance, beyond any other trophies or cup successes.

Last season, the Soweto giants came close before their title surge weakened, largely due to limited squad options available to then-coach Jose Riveiro. Through it all, Mofokeng rose above the rest, carrying the club’s ambitions as they pushed for a first league crown since the 2011/12 season.

With several new arrivals joining the club ahead of this season, much of the pressure has been eased off the young playmaker. Yet, with his immense talent still at full display, Ouaddou maintains that the 21-year-old remains central to their pursuit of the league title.

“You know, the 'President' is very important to our team. I love him, I love his style of play. He’s a fantastic guy, a top human being, someone who loves football, dreams about football—I think he even thinks about it 24 hours a day,” Ouaddou said.

Mofokeng struggled a touch at the start of the season to live up to expectations before being sidelined by injury, which made him miss the final World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

Due to his heavy workload last season, the Moroccan tactician believes the young attacker struggled with fatigue, which affected his early-season form.

“I cannot say too much about the beginning of this season for me. When you play so many games, and also the competition in the national team—I think he didn’t have a lot of time to rest; he had only 10 days, two weeks, and the season before he played maybe 40 or 45 games.

"He is not a robot, and I can understand that he was a bit tired, and we gave him some rest, and he came back with good fitness.

"You can now see in the last three or four games he was part of the success of the team and made some fantastic assists.”

Ouaddou added that with the talent Mofokeng has, even at less than full fitness, he has the qualities to help them to a strong league campaign.

“You can see the difference between a Mofokeng that is fit and one that is tired. At 70% he can still help the team, I do not want to imagine at 100% he can help us win the title."