Former Orlando Pirates winger Mohau Nkota has revealed how former Liverpool midfielder Georginio “Gini” Wijnaldum has helped him to settle at Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.
Nkota, 21, joined Ettifaq from Pirates during the off-season after impressing in Pirates’ run to the CAF Champions League final.
Wijnaldum himself joined Ettifaq from Paris Saint-Germain in September 2023 and has since been one of the standout players in the Saudi Pro League, scoring 36 games in 95 appearances.
As captain of the club, Wijnaldum also advised Nkota when he arrived in the Asian country, and helped him to settle in his new environment, Nkota revealed.
“When I arrived, I talked to my captain, Gini Wijnaldum,” the Bafana Bafana winger told the Saudi Pro League.
“He’s the one who advised me about the league and told me how things are going to go during the season.
“He said to me, ‘It’s not going to be easy, so you have to work and fight for your position. You have to always be there. Show up, show the coach that you want to play’.
“He told me a lot of things, that I need to show myself, who I am, where I come from, so that people can recognise me in the league.
“I didn’t know he was the captain until I asked and told me, ‘I’m the captain here, but don’t worry, be free. Don’t be scared to make mistakes. I’m here. We are here to help you as our new teammate. We are here to help you impress and show us what you bring to the team’.”
On Wednesday, Nkota and his team were back in action, facing log leaders Al-Nassr with superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane. Nkota featured for 89 minutes in the 1-0 defeat.
Image credit: Al-Ettifaq
