New Orlando Pirates midfielder Thalente Mbatha says he didn’t believe he was joining the club when they first made contact.
Mbatha, 23, was a surprise January loan deal for Pirates from SuperSport where he was on the fringes of Gavin Hunt’s squad.
The Highlands Park youth product had been limited to just 35 minutes of football in the league but was entrusted alongside former Chippa United wing-back Thabiso Lebitso as their latest arrivals.
“I was driving home when I got the call from Orlando Pirates saying that they want my services, at that moment I was confused, I didn’t know what it meant, so I was told I was going to move to Pirates, by Pirates,” he said when asked by iDiski Times about his surprise move.
“They said I must come to training, as they had opened and SuperSport was not open – so after receiving the call I went straight to tell my mother that I had to come to Johburg because it was short notice. They told me to come the following day, and after that – the [move] happened.”
Mbatha has since completed two 90-minute games, in the 6-0 win over Crystal Lake in the Nedbank Cup and the 1-0 win over Polokwane City – which was his first back-t-back 90-minute run-outs in his professional career.
He’s now aiming to continue his impressive start to life at the Buccaneers and earn a permanent move come the end of the 2023/24 season.
“It was a dream come true actually [when the call came], I didn’t believe it first up until they called again, the second call I didn’t answer until I was home – to make sure I’m next to my mother, so she was like are you sure this is Orlando Pirates, are you sure? I was like I’m sure, it’s a dream come true to play for Pirates,” he added.
“I’m hoping to get as much game time as I can, I’ll be a better player if I get game time, it will build my confidence more and I hope to make the deal permanent because it’s a big institution.”
Mbatha is in line to make another start for Pirates when they host Cape Town Spurs on Wednesday, their first game at Orlando Stadium in 2024.
