Orlando Pirates youngster Mpho Padime has opened up on his close relationship with Relebohile Mofokeng after receiving high praise from the Bafana Bafana playmaker.
Mofokeng recently spoke highly of Padime, describing the teenage winger as an exciting talent who reminds him of the South African football culture through his ability to dribble and entertain.
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Padime has now revealed that the pair share a close bond, with the Pirates youngster viewing the Belgian-based Mofokeng as a big brother and a source of guidance as he looks to establish himself in the senior game.
“We all know Rele is a good person. He’s someone who gives me advice almost every time I speak to him. He guides me because he’s older than me. I also want to see myself where he is. We speak a lot, he’s like a big brother to me,” Padime said.
Mofokeng’s recent move to Belgium has also provided Padime with further motivation as he looks to follow a similar path from the DStv Diski Challenge into European football.
The two youngsters were together during Pirates’ DDC campaign, with Mofokeng taking time to visit the squad when they were in the Netherlands.
“He motivates me [his move to Belgium]. When we were in the Netherlands with the DDC team he paid us a visit, but I spent a bit of time with him before we left,” he added.
Padime has since remained in contact with Mofokeng and recently sought advice from the former Pirates star after his impressive start to life in Belgium.
“I was asking him how he managed to gel in so fast with his new team, being South African and not knowing anyone. He said it’s hard work and doing what he was doing in South Africa,” Padime revealed.
The advice comes at an important stage of Padime’s own development.
After a standout campaign with the Pirates reserves, where he was named DDC Player of the Season as the club secured their first-ever reserve league title, Padime impressed during pre-season and subsequently made his senior debut.
His rapid rise has now been followed by his first involvement with the South Africa U23 national team.
Padime says he has settled quickly into the national team environment after receiving a warm welcome from both the players and technical staff.
“Camp has been good. The guys and the coaches have welcomed me well, so yeah, it’s good,” he said.
For Padime, the next challenge is to build on a breakthrough few months and continue following the path already established by players such as Mofokeng.